Month: February 2007

Categories
Drama Movie Reviews

My Coincidences And The Illusionist – A Magical Movie

Before reviewing on this Academy Award-nominated (Cinematography) movie, I wish to touch onto a category that I seldom have a chance to pen the stories down. Mainly because “coincidences” are usually in bits and pieces. I have this ability to remember certain faces in a short time frame (I am sure many of you can do that too) and because of that, I recognise the same lady whom I saw on my way to work, then on my way out for lunch, and when I was walking back to my car after a long day’s work, I saw the same lady having coffee break with her friends – all in one day. I mean, what’s the odd of that right? Or the same person I saw in consecutive days and never to see him or her again. Some friends of mine pointed it to the pattern of routine. But still, what’s the odd?

Couple of days ago while having lunch with Cynthia at Thomson Plaza (up north), I saw this young girl with her grandparents inside the same food court I was dining at. It was her big eyes and oval facial shape that I remember of. Then on the night I finished watching “The Illusionist” at Plaza Singapura, I walked out of the theatre and saw her in make-up with her boyfriend by her side. We must have watched the same movie. Again, what’s the odd?

Magical as my coincidences may seem, “The Illusionist” is truly one magical show. I wanted to give this movie a pass because the context sounds too much like “The Prestige” – another movie about illusionists that I happen to like a lot. While “The Prestige” makes it clear that magic does not exist, “The Illusionist” leaves a lot of room for imagination. At times I found myself gasping with the magic showed on the screen.

A drama written and directed by Neil Burger and starring Edward Norton, Jessica Biel, and Paul Giamatti, “The Illusionist” is a story of love, politics, and magic. The only qualms I have over this magical movie is that at times the pace is a bit too slow for me and I wish that the script is less predictable. However, no doubt it is an artistic movie to watch.

Categories
J Pop Music Reviews

Ayaka’s First Message Still At No.1 In HMV Chart

I am truly amazed at Ayaka’s debut album’s staying power in Singapore’s HMV Japanese chart. Not even megastars such as Ayumi Hamasaki or Koda Kumi can challenge that. I am sure Ayumi’s Secret has reached #1 position some weeks ago but this couple of months old album still reigns.

I bought this album quite some time ago and what prompted me to do so was Ayaka’s voice. Japanese singers tend to have this higher than normal pitch (according to my buddy Tong Kiat – who worked in Japan before – Japanese girls tend to speak like that too in any normal day). Ayaka has this thick, powerful, and soulful voice that drew my attention when I first sampled her album. If I was to blur out the language, her vocal style is closer to the western music than her Japanese peers. Excellent control of her voice with beautifully executed accentuation and vibratos.

Now that is the good things about her. The album however has songs with uneven quality. Some songs are really good (like the one below called “I Believe”). Some songs are quite forgettable. When “First Message” was released in Japan, it was the highest selling album of the week as well as the highest selling debut album for a female artist in 7 years. Commercially it is quite an achievement.

Categories
I See I Write

I Looked At HMV’s Japanese-Korean Chart And Got A Shock

As I was sampling one of the CDs at HMV Orchard, my eyes wandered off to the charts displayed on the wall. In front of me was the Japanese-Korean chart and many of them have already become my own CD collection (those with links to my review blogs).

1. Ayaka – First Message
2. BoA – Made In Twenty (20)
3. YUI – From Me To You
4. Koda Kumi – Black Cherry
5. Angela Aki – Home
6. Ayumi Hamasaki – Secret
7. Rain – Rain’s World
8. Nana Starring Mika Nakashima – The End

I am really surprised with the staying power of Ayaka’s First Message. Singaporeans must have loved her. And YUI’s debut album finally re-released in Singapore. About time I must say as HMV must have realised that Singaporeans are ordering the album via the Hong Kong HMV website. I have almost bought Angela Aki’s Home. Angela is a mix between Japanese and Taiwanese with an unique soulfully soothing voice. The music is a bit soft for me though but it may appeal to you. And of course if you observe closely, female artists rule the Japanese-Korean chart.

Categories
My Hobbies Oil Painting

My 3rd Oil Painting – Seletar Reservoir Under A Cloudy Blue Sky (2007)

Click here to enlarge

One day I woke up early ready to send Cynthia to town. I looked out of my window and what a lovely view! I saw a slightly hazy blue sky casting a misty silhouette over the Seletar Reservoir. The urge of wanting to paint was overwhelming. But first I must send Cynthia off.

(Click here or the thumbnail to view a larger image.)

On the way back, I got more and more excited. Clouds of fluffy shape floated above me waiting to be painted. Once I reached home, I wasted no time and set up my humble painting studio in my living room. Using my window frame as the view-finder, sketching exercise was a whole lot easier. In retrospect, I shall sketch the clouds the last and use a colour other than light blue. By the time I finished my sketching, the clouds have already moved and formed into somewhat different shapes. Oh, one more thing. Windy days post extra challenge to painting clouds as well.

It is so true that always paint from life. I saw so many different shades of blue from the sky and so many different shades of green from the trees. I took a picture right after I finished with the painting and the photo just does not do what the nature offers justice (click here to view the photo).

My buddy Tong Kiat thinks that the cloud on the top-right-hand corner looks more real (does he mean that the rest of the cloud …). Cynthia thinks that the cloud looks like a horse (hmmm). And my sister Lora told me that one morning she stared at the painting and saw the clouds moving. Hope you like it as much as I do. To tell you the truth, beautiful clouds aside, my proudest achievement is that tiny chimney and the tanker from a far distance. I was tempted not to put the tanker into my painting. It is the smallest subject that requires the highest concentration.

Click here for my oil painting “gallery”.

Categories
Diary

A Family Gathering at Mumtaz Mahal

From left to right: Cynthia, Benny (my sister's boyfriend), and Lora (my sister)

Avid readers of my site may have already known that my sister Lora (the lady in pink on the right) who currently lives in Hong Kong has been dating my buddy Benny (the dude behind the two lovely ladies) whom is the very first Singaporean I befriended with when I made Singapore my home back in 1995. The lady in red on the left is of course my “boss” Cynthia as now I am her personal driver, butler, cook, and etc. No price in guessing why my sister is in Singapore this week. Think “V”.

I always love to take my friends and families to Mumtaz Mahal, a Northern Indian cuisine at Far East Plaza (Orchard). The boss of the restaurant is so friendly that he always greets me personally and we always shake hands like good old friends. I don’t order from the menu; I just ask the boss for recommendation. The food is delicious. I first fell in love with Northern Indian food back in UK and Mumtaz Mahal can easily the best Northern Indian restaurant I have been to so far. Give their Tandoori chicken a try and you won’t regret it. Their home made mango ice-cream is mouth watering. What I find interesting is that after we finish the home made ice-cream, they always serve us complimentary mango ice-cream (different texture from their homemade one but is also delicious). Oh, one more thing: don’t forget to wrap up the entire meal with a cup of Masala tea as well!

Categories
Drama Movie Reviews

The Last King Of Scotland – Gruesomely Charming

We practice democracy within our Movie Review Squad. I personally would have given this movie a pass not because it is not a good show but my preference is in the vague order of originality, witty scripts, beautiful scenery/people … and a bit of tastefully done sex scenes won’t harm.

I can’t help but to compare “The Last King Of Scotland” with “Blood Diamond”. Both movies have plots originated from Africa; both are equally intense and gruesome; and both leading actors are nominated for this coming Oscar. Forest Whitaker who acted as the brutal Ugandan dictator Idi Amin has already earned him a Golden Globe Award. I still hope that Leonardo DiCaprio will win the Oscar this year but knowing the strong correlation between Golden Globe and Oscar (so I am told) … we shall see.

“The Last King Of Scotland” is based on Giles Foden’s award-winning debut novel of the same name as inspired by real people and real events. A story spins off from a Scottish doctor, Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy), who found himself becoming the physician and advisor of Idi Amin. Idi Amin is real while the character Garrigan is fictitious (loosely inspired by Amin’s English-born associate Bob Astles). Unlike “Blood Diamond” that is constantly gruesomely intense (or intensely gruesome?) throughout the show, the first half of “The Last King Of Scotland” is actually quite enjoyable to watch. The acting is great and I especially like McAvoy’s carefree character Garrigan. The transformation slowly took place when the charming Amin turned into a brutal monster. Towards the end, it was just blood and gore. I heard a lot of gasping from the audience behind me.

A movie with lots of quality acting, at times humorous scripts, and a slowly build-up of intensity. “Blood Diamond” has a lot of outdoor shots so I got to enjoy the culture side of Africa. Majority of “The Last King Of Scotland” was shot indoor or at some locations that did not seem to be uniquely African. If I have to choose one to watch, “Blood Diamond” no doubt. Having said that, “The Last King Of Scotland” is a show worth watching … for the acting I would say.

Related Blog and Link: Blood Diamond – Intensity With Great Performance (my blog), Official Site for “Last King Of Scotland”.

Categories
My Hobbies Oil Painting

My 2nd Oil Painting – Giant Lettuce and Five Tomatoes (2007)

Click here to enlarge

My 1st Oil Painting was a plate of fruit, a bottle of wine, and a small magazine. This time round, I wanted to try something slightly different (click here or the thumbnail on the left to view a larger image). Too bad, all the grapes I have bought couple of days ago are already inside my stomach. Since I didn’t have flowers in the house, I have decided to paint my lettuce inside the refrigerator together with five tomatoes. The working title of my second oil painting was “Dinner at Seven (You Are Mine Tonight)”. That explains the knife by the way.

(Quick look at the painting against the live setup)

I found painting the lettuce was the most challenging part of all. Looking closely, there were lots of light and dark areas in a certain pattern. Comparatively, making the tomatoes to look 3D was much easier.

My second painting aside, I currently run into some unresolved logistic difficulties. Depending on the colours I use, some parts of the paintings may take up to 2 weeks to get reasonably dry. According to the experts, oil paintings take up to 6 to 9 months to dry to a stage that can be varnished and framed up to the walls. So meanwhile, what do I do with all my wet paintings? I have already used up 3 boards (coming next: Seletar Reservoir Under A Blue Cloudy Sky) and each board costs slightly more than S$5. I have to find a way to temporarily hold my paintings to dry for at least 2 weeks and to store them nicely thereafter for 6 to 9 months. Right now, I have no clue (any suggestions?).

In an attempt to quicken this drying process, from my second painting onwards, I use a drying agent called Alkyd Flow Medium. It supposes to work wonder and I can see the immediate effect on how fast my paints dry up on my palette (I must have overdone it a bit). After I was done with the painting, time for washing up and I have ignorantly used my hands to clean the dippers that had Alkyd in it. All of a sudden, my hands were covered with this very sticky stuff that could not be washed off. Whatever I touched got sticky too. It took me 20 to 30 washes with lot of hand soap to get the Alkyd off my hands. After that horrifying experience, I use lots of paper towels to wipe the dipper clean after each painting session instead. Not everything can be learned from the books I guess.

Click here for my oil painting “gallery”.

Categories
J Pop Music Reviews

Does Koda Kumi’s Black Cherry Rival Ayu’s Secret?

Koda Kumi’s new album’s cover may or may not resemble to Ayumi’s “Secret” – though I do see the similarity, the staying power (at number 1) of this album does rival Ayumi’s RAINBOW. To be honest, I do collect Koda Kumi’s albums and DVDs and enjoy listening to her as a talented young Japanese. But as a rivalry to Ayumi? I listen to this album with a pair of extremely critical ears.

Four years junior of Ayumi, Koda Kumi has already released 35 singles, 5 studio albums, and 3 compilation albums (compares to Ayumi’s 40 singles, 8 studio albums, 3 compilation albums, and countless remixes). Koda Kumi may not have a look that kills, she does have the sex appeal to compensate. Some of her videos are so hot that the CD/DVD comes with a “Mature 18” sticker.

“Black Cherry” is packed with 18 songs of close to 72 minutes and it comes with a sizzling hot DVD as well. Now, I wonder how it can get away with a “PG” sticker (I have linked one of the video at the end of this blog as it is too hot to be placed in my site). My initial reaction to “Black Cherry” was mixed. A good number of songs are the Hip-Hop type – a genre that I don’t in particularly fancy except when I am inside Ministry of Sound. The slow ballads and the rock songs though is a different story as I do enjoy listening to them immensely with a tint of guilt. Perhaps I have this “rivalry” mindset and being too critical. After a few listen to the CD, I do find that the songs are pretty good. Enjoyable with high chance that you will listen to the entire album again and again (like I do). The DVD is pretty good as well although I can say with full confidence that Ayumi’s Secret’s DVD is much better.

Categories
Foreign Movie Reviews

Once In A Summer – A Sad, Sad Korean Movie

The excerpt of the movie’s synopsis says “A beautifully-shot, heart-warming love story … as the summer drew to a close, the couple faced a challenge to their willpower.” I picked “Once In A Summer” because of the words “heart-warming love story”. Over our quick dinner, Cynthia asked what we were watching. You see, the “penalty” of rejecting my call due to a business meeting is that you will have no idea what you get yourself into. Korean, I answered. Oh no, she responded. Don’t worry, it’s not a tear jerking movie, I reassured her. How wrong I was. The words “heart-warming love story” should have been replaced by “heart-wrenching love story”. I kid you not. At the end of the movie, I gave my Movie Review Squad a how-would-I-know expression. “It’s a Korean movie! What do you expect?!”, both Cynthia and Tong Kiat chuckled at my apparent ignorance.

“Once In A Summer” has prompted me to read up a little bit on the history of South Korea. Apparently after World War II, American and Soviet troops had occupied the southern and northern halves of Korea. In 1960, a student uprising in South Korea led to the resignation of president Syngman Rhee, whose government had become autocratic and corrupt. I suspect the movie is set before this historical event when the students were gathering their forces from various parts of the country. (See footnote on amendment.)

Suk-young (Lee Byung-hun), one of the students who found refuge in a remote village where he met the beautiful Jung-in (Su-Ae). Without giving out any spoiler, “Once In A Summer” is less on Suk-young’s journey in finding out what happened to his first love years after (again, from synopsis) and more on how these two people fell in love and faced the political challenges of that time.

It is a beautifully filmed movie and I am especially impressed with the set and costumes that the actors wore that give you a convincing movie that happened in the old days. Acting-wise, oh well, Cynthia must have poured out 1 litre of tear until she has missed out some of the plots because she was too busy crying (direct quote). Lee Byung-hun is not new to me (who can forget his performance in JSA – Joint Security Area?) but Su-Ae is. All I can say is that she can really act out a sad, sad movie.

Overall a good movie for those who love this genre of movie. Below is the official trailer. I have also found a soundtrack of the movie. However, if you plan to watch the movie, you may wish to watch it later as it probably gives out too much spoiler (click here to view).

Edit: Now I do recall that the movie does make a reference to Moon Landing and hence, the story is set in the year of 1969 when Armstrong first landed the moon. The 1960 uprising as above-mentioned refers to the installation of the Second Republic of South Korea. Hence, if the movie does follow the history, it is the Third Republic era when the government sought to reduce political activism by the college students through several educational reforms.

Related Site: Official Movie Site for Once In A Summer.

Categories
My Hobbies Oil Painting

My 1st Oil Painting – Fruits and Wine (2007)

Click here to enlarge

Trivia Quiz: What activity can be messy in nature, requires lots of paper towels, yet fun and enjoyable, and with a scent that can make you go high the longer you do it?

Answer: Oil Painting, that is!

Well, this is it. My very first oil painting (click onto the picture to take a closer look). At the back of my head, I know one day I will regret on posting something so amateurish in my website. However, true to what my website is about – where good things are meant to be shared – I am exciting to share with you what I have learnt so far.

(Quick look at how this painting compares to the real setting)

When I first told people around me that I wish to do oil painting, I have some interesting responses. Mark, for instance, thinks that I can do it because he has seen some of the doodles I have posted in my site. I think he has more confidence in me than I have with myself. Tong Kiat is more pragmatic. He suggested watercolour instead as the medium of oil painting can be smelly. Breathing in too much of it can get people high. Turned out that his sister has painted in oils before and he even knows someone who can be the critic – as I cannot afford a tutor – for merely S$20. A friend of mine (better not write her name down) even volunteered to be a live model. Again, amazing confidence she has in me. And Cynthia’s response can at times be flattering as she thinks that whatever comes out of my hands are good.

Took me nearly an hour to unpack all the stuffs and set up my oil painting studio. The entire set, including the brand new lamp that I got it from Ikea today for S$19, costs me just over S$200 and I think it is a worthwhile investment. This first oil painting of mine titled “Fruits and Wine” took me 1.5 hour to paint and am definitely looking forward to my next one. The books I have read all suggested to paint something simple as a beginner because success breeds success. I guess I just wish to skip the boxes and single fruit for now.

Click here for my oil painting “gallery”.