Machizo Hasegawa 
We now face challenging times like we have never experienced before. The ideal values held in modern society, “to consume more, faster, and something rare,” are rapidly fading away… because we can no longer practice them, even if we want to. Instead, a new value has emerged: to find greatness in the things around us. Now, movies are the best form of entertainment that modern society has produced. The characters, almost by definition, set to go on adventures, leaving behind their boring everyday life. Those adventures invariably have “faster, abundant and rare” factors. But now, we can only sigh watching such movies, because they just make us more aware of the difference with our situation. What if, instead, you watched a film in which the characters go about their daily lives, at home, in an unassuming manner? There aren’t many movies like this, but you might be able to relate to the characters and learn more from them. That’s why we picked up 10 “stay home movies” for this issue of TOKION and had a close look at their characters. Additional notes about how they live might help you find greatness in your close surroundings.
The Man Who Fell to Earth（1976）by Nicolas Roeg
But it is private
Greetings Earth people, it’s been a while! I’m Thomas Jerome Newton.
What do you mean, I died 4 years ago? Ha! That was a ruse. I simply and returned to my home planet.
I was recently on a mission to another world and decided to drop in and visit Earth, but it seems there are some unusual circumstances here. I am puzzled by the curious lack of people walking around town.
Although the best course of action would be to stop someone and ask, I’m rather well known around here. Dealing with the fuss of explaining how I’m still alive is too much bother. What should I do? I know, I’ll use the information gathering method that I used when I came here the first time. I’ll just watch T.V.
So, I intended on settling down to see what’s on the box, but there are just so many channels now! I see, they’re called streaming platforms, like Netflix, Amazon Prime or Apple TV. They’re all new names to me. All the programmes seem to have been diluted with water or something. Hmm, this Stranger Things appears to be a popular drama. As far as I can see, it’s just an unfriendly fantasy drama for children. I may as well watch a bit more. Well, it seems they had a good budget and it is certainly well made. There is a lot of detail in homage to the 80’s culture. Ah, this has brought a happy tear to this old man’s eye. I can’t stop watching, the story is so compelling and… Oh my! I’ve already watched 3 seasons!
Hmm, it’s time to get back on track. Oh, I seem to have found another interesting programme. Let’s give this Marvelous Mrs. Maisel a go. What I assumed to be a sweet and simple drama turned out to be about a housewife wanting to become a stand-up comedienne in the late 50’s. It is an ambitious work on the entertainment industry and the initial phases of counter culture. The background research into the period is perfect, with devilishly cute clothing and details!
Right, I guess it’s time to watch something other than dramas. What? Is this Tiger King really a documentary? The galaxy is a big place so it’s unusual, to say the least, to come across stranger people than these!
Well, I’m stunned! Even with my ability to watch several programmes in parallel, there is just too much on T.V. for my lifetime on this planet. I think I know why there are so few people outside. I think I’ll put off my trips to other planets for a while. I’ve got some programmes that I want to watch…
Home Alone（1990）by Chris Columbus
I made my family disappear
A child nearly caught in a Christmas robbery
2 men were arrested for breaking and entering in an upper-class Chicago suburb just after 8pm on December 25th (11am on the 26th in Japan).
According to Chicago police, the men, named Harold Lime (47) and Marvin Merchants (43), are homeless and unemployed. The pair is known to target homes vacated during Christmas vacation. Although they entered the McCallister’s residence on Lincoln Drive, they were apprehended empty-handed. The McCallister’s youngest child, Kevin (8), was mistakenly left behind but is unharmed and his parents are relieved.
A happy Kevin commented to a local media outlet:
“Because it’s Christmas I wished for my annoying family to disappear and it came true. I got to do all the things I wanted to do. I shaved my beard, jumped on the beds, and ate a takeout pizza all by myself. But I got lonely so I went to church and asked God to bring my family back. I like being by myself, but being with my family is better.”
A mystery is that although Kevin didn’t have a scratch on him, the robbers in custody were covered in injuries. In their police interview, they repeatedly moaned “that the devil did it,” but what actually happened is unknown. (John Hughes, Chicago branch office)
High Fidelity（2000）by Stephen Frears
Autobiographical
Q1 Name
Q2 Occupation
Q3 What do you do on your days off?
Q4 What do you gain from doing that?
A1: Rob Gordon
A2: Second-hand record store. Owner of Championship Vinyl.
A3: I maintain my analogue record collection at home.
A4: It isn’t good for my body, but quietly doing this work is good for my spirit. Reordering my huge record collection by genre, or thinking about the order in which I bought them brings up old memories so I can look back on my life. I regularly stand up at the thought of a past mistake only to find out that it’s already the end of the day.
Movie Selection & Text Machizo Hasegawa
Movie Capture & Design HATO PRESS
Editor Takuhito Kawashima（kontakt）, Moe Nishiyama, Victor Leclercq (kontakt)
Graphic Design Akinobu Maeda（MAEDA DESIGN LLC）
