*** You khow I love Devon Aoki!! ***

My Forbidden Love, Numero tokyo december 2009 [Devon Aoki]. Phtographer by Sebastian Kim.Via: TFS

Name// Devon Edwenna Aoki
Occupation// Model/Actress
Where// N/A
Why Pouting// It is her natural pouty look…

perfect holiday hairstyle

by BerlinLeatherParisLace

Well, Hallow’een came and went, and the plants around are dead and dying. So The Captain dragged me out of my cave to blog. About spiders and black glitter and Morticia Adams and stuff.

But first– review of The Chron-o-log-i-cal Fla-neur’s Neu Fave Movie…

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Undead!

Good things require long waits, and the wait was well worth a movie as witty, fun, and entertaining as this one. No doubt it will be hailed at least as a cult classic.

The ever-cool Sean Lennon teamed up with writer/director Jordan Galland (and a really A1 costumer) to bring us the story of Julian (Jake Hoffman; reminded me a little of J.D. from Scrubs) and his best friend (Kris Lemche) and former flame (Devon Aoki; *wolf-whistle*) and her mayhaps-mafioso lover (Ralph Macchio of Karate Kid fame). They all get caught in the theatrical plots of Theo Horace, played by John Ventimiglia (who brings the sex appeal in full force to this event, as the Sire Vampire should). That dish was flanked by a couple of beautiful bloodthirsty babes. As technically inaccurate the whole “beautiful vampire” thing is I can’t help but adore it when done well. And can’t leave out a shout out to Waris Ahluwalia as yet another character that I want to hug. The whole affair ends with my personal favorite character in the movie, the real Hamlet played by Joey Kern like a 70s gameshow host. Not to pidgenhole this fantastic bunch (I would cringe if they were lost to the dead-end-ville that is the Land of Sequels), but King Lear would be my next vote for  their deft and darkly comedic treatment.

THE BOTTOM LINE….?

Funny and dark romance, new treatment to an old idea, plenty of eye candy, you’ll be quoting it as you leave the theatre. Five Stars from theFlâneurs.

Okay, now about Morticia Adams. And why parents should foist her as a role model on their kids.

The Lovely Lady of the Darkness has been pretty ignored lately. Come on people. Let’s get this chick back in the spotlight, huh? She represents all that is good for the lovers of Dark. And speaking of goths….

The subculture of goth has more or less fallen out of trend (good or bad? well, try shopping goth) and has been morphed into the festering stink that is Emo. And “ScrEmo” doesn’t exist. Whoever thought that a marriage between skaters and goths was doing too much E in the 90s. Being goth isn’t wearing black and listening to Voltaire (as much as I love that sick, sick, man), but also being disgusted with the hypocrisy of mainstream First-World culture. But we should be able to laugh at ourselves! We should laugh, people! Goths with a sense of humor, because hey, we’re all burning in the end anyway, right? That’s what’s missing today. No one grabs an old black dress and a fishnet opera glove and go has a dance in a graveyard these days. Hence my bid to re-crown Morticia Adams as a role model for goths everywhere. You just can’t beat a perfectly poised, deliciously dark woman (who obviously can get down if you look close at those comments dropped by Gomez and Fester). Seriously, guys.

O, and lets bash Kids Today a little more. There’s a strong stink of whimpification coming from ‘em. Goth is not the next stage of Whimpo–I mean Emo. Let me make this clear. There is a HUGE difference between pink-and-black checkerboard “ooo look I’ve got a skull-and-bows tattoo tee hee tee hee” little teeny bopper in the corner and the girl who collects dead birds and dresses like Emily Strange’s drab cousin. I don’t even think I need to go into it. But enough of that, I’m gonna tell you why Morticia Addams, bless her, is the perfect role model, parents of the Interwebs.

PROs: Modesty

One thing many parents with daughters worry about is their little baby princess’ promiscuity. Well, look at the women–if you can call them that–of Hollywood today! Morticia, on the other hand, is demure, ladylike, and has her sh*t together in general. Yeah, she gets down with her husband, but no one else, that’s for sure. She’s not an Ice B*ch, she’s got standards, and she’s got self-respect. But she doesn’t shove it down your throat. She just naturally radiates class. I don’t think any jock tried any funny business with her in the hallways, s’all I’m sayin’…

PROs: Intelligence

What is the one thing most kids agree parents are freaking out over? Grades. Being intelligent and mentally well-rounded is a huge boon to anyone, and concerned parents everywhere are rallying tutors and programs and all sorts of fancy cr*p to get their precious lil dumplings a leg up. Well, a kid’s not gonna learn if they’re bored or don’t see how it’ll help them in the real world. Most kids I know, even now in college, they just chug along at the minimum, getting a business degree ’cause they’re not into academics and think they’ll figure it out later, or getting a general degree ’cause they can’t decide and they’re not interested in deciding anyway. But enough; how would Morticia inspire otherwise, you ask? Have you seen this woman? Well spoken, an excellent conversationalist, and rather often seen with a book in her hand. This woman is obviously well-educated and is the kind of mom to value it in her kids (even though she doesn’t play up the mom-figure bit nearly as much as her TV-Land counterpart Lily Munster).

PROs: Glamour

As I’ve said before in varying ways, Morticia Addams was one classy broad. It’s hard not to respect a woman of her ilk, and it all comes part and parcel with the glam, baby. Presentation is key, and this is something that Kids Today are sorely lacking. If anyone had presentation, the ability to get attention (of some sort) and get respect just by walking into a room, it was Morticia. It all goes back to all the things I’ve been talking about for the whole post. She had poise, she had wit, she got respect. Parents with bad kids, or afraid they’ll become bad kids? Have them watch a bit of Addams Family, and Morticia will surely teach them the ways of the well-dressed and well-mannered. Why am I so confident of this? Because kids will always imitate what they see, especially when they’re young and impressionable. Also, they love to get a reaction out of the adults. And if they go around imitating Morticia and Wednesday, they’re guaranteed a reaction from most adults, which will only reinforce the behavior. Obviously, I’m not talking about the goons aged 12+. They’re a lost cause due to bad parenting in most cases. Not even Morticia can help them now. So parents, again, the younger you start, the better the results.

Alright, people, that’s three reasons, and this post is already getting long. So let me finish off and sign off. Later.

Devon Aoki pra Numéro Tokyo de Dezembro….quero TODAS as meias, tô viciada!

Devon Aoki, com foto de Sebastian Kim para Numéro Tokio dez/09.

fashiongonerogue

Actress Devon Aoki shot by Sebastian Kim for the December 2009 issue of Numero Tokyo magazine.

James

devon aoki is represented by city model management, paris.
she appears for the december issue of numéro tokyo, as seen here.
photographic credit to sebastian kim.

imagesource | numéro

Numéro Tokyo 12/2009 – Devon Aoki fotografada por Sebastian Kim

(via Sebastian Kim)

Dima Camino’s Pile Up of me!!!, originally uploaded by Serafina Ezvalt.

Dima Camino’s Pile Up and Photosteam: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dimacamino/4029811418/

Original Picture on my alternate Flickr account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sera_e_fashion_stream/4014623677/

Link To It On My Main PhotoStream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/serafinaezvalt/4029541281/

I am in awe, again, of the amazing talents that are put to use through pile up groups. This one is such a nice contrast to the other one, giving me such amazing, yet different, perspectives on my original.

The pile of her hair, and the texturing is so lovely. (I am particularly in love with her hair as it looks much like mine in rl, just a touch less curly). A stunning portrait.

Thank you so much to Dima Camino!

I find the photographers I like are a strange mix of the realist and edgy, and the ethereal and dream-like. As my own photography almost exclusively veers towards the former, I am constantly in awe of those who produce delicate, subtle images which rely on little more than the clever use of light. This is the kind of photographer I aspire to be. My reliance on instinct with a seriously undeveloped technical know-how is definitely requiring some development. I’d love to learn more from others on how to take great photos.

One photographer amongst my favourites is Camilla Akrans – a fashion photographer. I loved her editorial with Devon Aoki for Vogue Nippon in June 2006.

And for Numero 69:

All photos via The Fashion Spot

And a few others:

Photos from Copper Portfolio

Data
Title: Sin City
Year: 2005
Length: 124 minutes
Directors: Frank Miller & Robert Rodriguez, with Quentin Tarantino
Writer: Frank Miller
Starring: Jessica Alba, Devon Aoki, Alexis Bledel, Rosario Dawson, Benicio Del Toro, Carla Gugino, Jaime King, Clive Owen, Mickey Rourke, Nick Stahl, Bruce Willis, Elijah Wood
Music: John Debney, Graeme Revell, Robert Rodriguez
Distinctions: currently #102 on IMDb’s Top 250

My reaction
Synopsis: several loosely-related crime stories set in a corrupt city
How I saw it: in the theater, 2005; on video several times (used to have on DVD), most recently (rented from Netflix) yesterday
Concept: Great.
Story: Okay. The individual stories are good, but there’s no good reason to put them together.
Characters: Good. Most are cliches, but in that archetype sort of way that works for noir.
Dialog: Bad. Presumably it’s intentionally bad.
Pacing: Eh. It moves too fast, and is simultaneously too long.
Cinematography: Great.
Special effects/design: Great. The visuals are good enough to make up for all of the movie’s faults, and then some.
Acting: Bad. Intentionally bad, I think. Then again, the few great actors in the movie (Rourke, Owen) aren’t nearly as bad as everyone else, so maybe it’s not intentional. Either way, it’s the sort of bad acting that helps create atmosphere.
Music: Good.
Subjective Rating: 8/10 (Great). It used to be one of my favorites. After a number of viewings, once the shock of how cool the visuals are wears off, it looses a lot. Still a very interesting movie, though.
Objective Rating: 7/10 (points off for dialog, pacing and acting) 7/10 (Pretty good).

 

 

 

 

cheers.

Devon Aoki modeling a bikini in black and white

See more at SuperiorPics.

cobrasnake@alexanderwang

Devon Aoki Totally Looks Like Realistic Jessica Rabbit

» Think you can do better? Make your own!

Pictures by: dunno source, Camille Look-Alike by: dunno source via Totally Looks Like Builder

Take off, hoser!

(Magnolia) Thomas Jane, Ron Perlman, John Malkovich, Devon Aoki, Benno Furmann, Sean Pertwee, Anna Walton, Pras Michel, Tom Wu, Steve Toussaint, Luis Echegaray, Shauna Macdonald, Christopher Adamson. Directed by Simon Hunter.

The future is not a very nice place. The resources of our planet have all but been exhausted by the 28^th century. No longer a planet divided into nations, the world is ruled by mega-corporations. There are only four left, more or less divided into geographical territories, and they fight over the scraps that Mother Earth has left.

One such battle takes place in Eastern Europe, where a strange seal is uncovered in the Earth. A stray shell cracks the seal and inadvertently re-activates a massive machine that has been dormant for thousands of years.

In the distant past, the machine had come from outer space without explanation and began mutating the human population into homicidal creatures whose sole purpose was to kill, or capture the remaining humans for mutation. An ancient hero managed to overcome the mutants and seal the machine in the depths of the earth, leaving behind a document that has been unknown to the general population but guarded by a group of monks who revere the Chronicles as scripture.

The mutant outbreak gets to be overwhelming – the corporate armies can’t withstand the onslaught of the mutants, whose arms have become deadly bone-blades. Major Mitch Hunter’s (Jane) unit barely survives – they wouldn’t have without the sacrifice of Mitch’s friend and mentor Nathan Rooker (Pertwee). The decision by the Earth’s erstwhile political leader Constantine (Malkovich) is to evacuate as much of the remaining people on Earth off-world to Mars. Unfortunately, there aren’t nearly enough transports to evacuate everyone on time and massive panic erupts, with the accompanying studies in humanity’s baser emotions.

However, Brother Samuel (Perlman), one of the last remaining members of the Order that has guarded the Chronicles for so long, has a plan. He will lead a team into the Machine itself and plant there a weapon left behind that the Chronicle says will end the threat of the Mutants and the Machine forever.

An elite team of commandos from all four corporations are assembled, led by Major Hunter. His team includes the arrogant, elitist Lt. von Steiner (Furmann), the silent but deadly swordsman Severian (Walton), the easy-going Cpl. De Barrera (Echegaray) and the beautiful Cpl. Duval (Aoki). Together with Brother Samuel they journey to the location of the Machine, but quickly discover that even the skies aren’t safe from the rapidly evolving mutants. Can these few stand against the vast hordes of Mutants taking over our planet?

Hunter has crafted a visually arresting movie. There’s an excess of carnage – the Mutants kill with bladed arms, slicing and dicing a swath through the film’s endless supply of extras. The look has been described as “World War I meets Steampunk” and that’s quite accurate. It begs a few questions – how does a civilization that has the capability of off-world colonies rely so heavily on steam-powered vehicles that have gauges and valves instead of digital readouts and computers. And of course, the usual Hollywood bugaboo – if there is an ancient weapon capable of destroying the unbeatable foe, why wasn’t it used the first time out?

The cast is pretty impressive for an independent action movie. Perlman plays a character more akin to the Beast than to Hellboy (remember his work on the TV series “Beauty and the Beast”?). Jane, who has starred in such movies as Punisher and The Mist, is one of those actors who don’t seem to get the respect he deserves. His heroic Hunter tosses off one-liners that would do Schwarzenegger proud, and has the charisma to be a leading action star. Malkovich, who is only in a couple of scenes here, is typical Malkovich for his role. Aoki is, like Jane, an incomprehensibly underrated actress who doesn’t get the attention she should be getting.

The real star here however is production designer Caroline Greville-Morris. Her task was to create a society that is crumbling, advanced and yet without the resources to sustain it. Something tells me that she was given the directive to make it look deliberately like First World War trench warfare in the initial battle scenes, and it does, down to the uniforms of the corporate soldiers.

There is some CGI here, but it isn’t the centerpiece of the movie, which is amazing considering the subject matter. The mutants make excellent monsters, and their relentless, unremorseful bloodlust and rage are completely credible. I’m not that familiar with the pen-and-paper RPG that this is based on, but I’m assured it’s fairly faithful to the storyline of the game.

I didn’t expect to like The Mutant Chronicles as much as I did. This movie has been around since last year (it’s already seen release in Europe for nearly a year) but the producers have had difficulty securing an American distributor. Normally that sets off alarm bells in this critic’s brain. After finally cutting a deal with Mark Cuban’s Magnolia Releasing, Cuban made the odd decision to air the movie first on his HDNet cable channel before its theatrical release (which unfortunately has been limited to New York and Los Angeles). That’s a shame, because despite all its logical flaws, it is a highly entertaining sci-fi war film. I’d characterize it as The Dirty Dozen if written by John Carpenter and directed by George Romero. That’s pretty high praise in my book. In any case, if you get an opportunity to see it in a theater, or on HDNet, or eventually on DVD/Blu-Ray, by all means do so – you won’t regret it.

WHY RENT THIS: The WWI meets Steampunk production design is visually arresting. Fine performances by the leads, particularly the underrated Jane, are unexpectedly welcome. Truly menacing villains and some excellent battle sequences make this an exciting sci-fi war film.

WHY RENT SOMETHING ELSE: The story has some severe logical flaws that at times take you out of the movie’s world. The carnage can get brain-numbing after awhile.

FAMILY VALUES: Plenty of carnage and foul language. The mutants are so unnerving that they’ll give younger viewers nightmares for weeks. Okay for older or more mature teens.

TRIVIAL PURSUITS: Mutant Chronicles began life as a pen-and-paper role-playing game developed in Sweden.

NOTABLE DVD EXTRAS: An HD-Net making-of documentary, footage of the movie’s Comic-Con panel and a seven-minute teaser made by director Hunter to generate buzz and illustrate to his cast and crew what kind of mood he was looking for.

FINAL RATING: 6/10

TOMORROW: The Wrestler

Mutant Chronicles 2008
Director: Simon Hunter
Writer: Phillip Eisner
Starring: Thomas Jane, Ron Perlman, Devon Aoki, Sean Pertwee and John Malkovich

This is a film I had been waiting for awhile to see. as I love all the cast in the film and the concept sounded cool as hell. So, once the dvd hit store, I rushed out and got it and I am happy to say it exceeded my expectations. Any chance I can see Thomas Jane kicking ass I will take. He is bad ass in this film and his character reminds me a lot of Snake Plissken. He is rounded out by a great cast which includes the always awesome Ron Perlman and the badassery that is Devon Aoki. The creatures in it are pretty cool too and the film is dark but that works in it’s favor. If I would compare the film to anything it would be to the Dirty Dozen. Just think of it as a Post apocalyptic Sci-Fi version of that idea. It works with that idea wonderfully and I was really pulled into the film right away.
The plot basics are this, the year is 2707 and Mitch Hunter (Jane) is a soldier for Capitol a corporation that is warring with other corporations as that is what the world is run by now. He is battle weary and wants to be done with it, and plans on it until he gets a offer from a religious order. He is approached at a bar by a priest, Samuel, (Perlman), he is the leader of the Brotherhood and he believes that he is destined to go underground to destroy this thing called “The Machine” which will stop all the monstrosities that are attacking everyone. He will get a ticket off world if he helps Samuel with his mission. Samuel collects other ragtag soldiers and gives them the same offer. Once he has his motley crew they head underground and face many uphill battles to reach their objective. It all leads to Mitch almost being turned into one of the mutants and he has to wage a battle for all mankind against Samuel who has been mutated and seems to have taken over as their leader.
This was a rip roaring good sci-fi action yarn. The direction by Hunter is tight, he really pulls off the action sequences well, especially the big battle with all the mutants near the climax with Aoki doing her martial arts stuff. The writing is good and moves the storyline at a clip and Jane has great one liners throughout the film. All of the characters are fully realized and you never feel that any of them are just filler. The cast is great, Jane is a great hero as always, and he is helped along with Perlman and Aoki, who are great in anything they do. The SFX is great, with some nice gore in the film and the set design for the film is superbly done. I know the film was made cheap, but it never looks that way. This is a solid sci-fi action film and one of the best of it’s kind I have seen since Starship Troopers. I highly recommend this one for both action and sci-fi fans.
This one gets 4 out of 5

photography by Mikael Jansson

love <3.

vogue nippon 06/2009

I’m feeling a bit uninspired lately. Gotta keep the eyes open until something triggers.

Jeg endte selvsagt opp med denne filmen da jeg fant ut at Devon Aoki hadde en rolle i den (I iz in luv). Filmen var da faktisk ikke så ille den… mye greenscreen men allikevel spennende nok historie til at jeg ikke kjeda meg… Dessuten er Devon et syn og hun har en såpass stor rolle at filmen var verdt å se. Ikke å forakte at Ron Perlman og Thomas Jane var med heller… Gode skuespillere de to.

Jeg gir denne filmen

(4/6 stjerner)