Category: My Opinion

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J Pop Music Reviews

Rimi Natsukawa 夏川りみ – Self Selection – My Comfort Album

There is comfort food.  And there is comfort music too, I reckon.  You know how it is like when every time you listen to a particular song or album and that triggers a particular memory of yours?  Maybe “Last Christmas” was played when you gave your first kiss away, maybe “I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing” is your theme song with that special someone, or maybe you were listening to “Woman In Chains” when you first discover what romance is.

So I was on a plane to Chennai, India – which by the way, if you haven’t got the chance to check out the complete 2-set photo albums, I invite you to take a look (montage below).  For lack of entertainment choices on the SIA flights, I put Rimi Natsukawa’s new album on repeat – on my way to Chennai, and back.  I did sample “Self Selection” (あいのうた ～セルフセレクション・ベスト～) in several occasions at HMV Orchard but somehow, the album didn’t talk to me.  My first (and second and third) impression was that the sound is kind of old fashioned, kind of different from the rest of the J-pop I am so used to.  Needless to say, after the trip, I bought her album.

In fact, the kind of music is called Ryukyuan and Rimi Natsukawa is a folk singer.  Is it an universal truth that folk genre produces better singers than pop and rock?  And when did the Japanese start to have songs in English titles and lyrics with English words?  Either way, Rimi Natsukawa is a great singer and all the songs she selected is 100% Japanese.  Inside the album jacket, she wrote a small passage for each song explaining why she chose it, when she played it, and what the song means to her (note: I read the Chinese translation).

Is “Self Reflection” for you?  Hard to say.  Are you open for traditional Japanese music?  Maybe you wish to check out this old video of hers and see for yourself.  涙そうそう (“Sparkling Tears”) is my favorite track of the album.  Sure it doesn’t have the dynamic of a typical pop song.  It does however invoke emotion, a peaceful type of emotion.  And to me, it works.  This album works.

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Comedy Movie Reviews Romance

Forgetting Sarah Marshall – So Real That I Almost Cried Watching

OK.  Almost.  I may not able to 100% relate to “Sex and the City”, “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” is as close to big-boys-do-cry as it can get.  At least in my book.  I mean, there is nothing macho about getting hurt, is there?  And yes, men do the stupidest things when that someone we love walked away.  So many scenes within the film I can personally relate to.  Gosh.  I am hopeless.  Fortunately, the film is so hilarious that got the entire Movie Review Squad laughing all the way.  At the end of the show, everyone claimed credit for choosing the show.  Uh-huh.  I swear it was my idea, my pick.

It feels so real probably because the lead actor Jason Segel is also the writer of “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”.  And he was the guest star of CSI for three episodes.  That probably explains the hilarious cut scenes of a CSI-look-alike TV series within the movie.  Jason Segel has also brought in some of his real life relationship episodes into the show.  No wonder.

Ukrainian born actress Mila Kunis is so totally hot.  And so is my breath-of-fresh-air Heroes actress Kristen Bell.  Cynthia asked which one I like better.  Huh?  Can I have both?  I don’t really know Russell Brand but if you were to ask me who is the true comedian of the show?  Russell’s off-beat-over-the-top-least-sexy-acting got me laughing all the time.  That guy is so funny.  Gosh.  Love his British accent too.

For the record, I picked the show.  I say so because I get to write this blog.  Ha!

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Hard Rock & Metal Music Reviews

Metallica – Death Magnetic – The Gigantic Metallic Beast Is Awakened

If someone was to tell me a few years ago that Kirk Hammett would once again pick up his guitar and be the legendary guitar hero he once was, I would chuckle in disbelief.  If someone was to tell me that the new Metallica album would sound like this, com’on!  Are you for real?

Blasting Death Magnetic on our way home, Cynthia and I were screaming out loud punching fists in the air.  At first listen!  I only managed to get into St. Anger after 250 times of album repeat (no kidding, I used to have a count in my computer and it is hard to decipher the seemingly random patterns).  Gosh!  Are we living in an alternative reality or what?!  Kirk Hammett has finally come to his senses and hammers out some real cool and original guitar solo tracks.  Check out the signature snare smashing double bass by Lars Ulrich.  Not just double-time, or quadruple-time, but octuple-time double bass.  You wouldn’t have thought someone in the mid-forties, hospitalized in 2004 having to miss the tour, still able to pull this sort of act off.  The new bassist Robert Trujillo who was recruited into the band during the St. Anger era (that scene of one million cash proposal on the table together with an equal share as seen in the video Some Kind of Monster is hard to forget) plays brilliantly in this album.  Certainly my favorite Metallica bassist of all time.  Hopefully, Metallica Inc. is going to keep this one.  James Hetfield’s voice is in top form, sounds confident (consider how far gone he was with the alcoholism and rehabilitation), and his lyrics reflect just that, “You rise, you fall, you’re down then you rise again.  What don’t kill ya make ya more strong”.  Isn’t it more positive than “Shoot me again I ain’t dead yet”?  Not to forget to mention the mad guitar riffing of the opening track, these two guitarists have rescaled the difficulty spectrum of thrash metal up a few notches.

Approach any Metallica fan and we all have our favorite eras.  Rarely you find someone (like me) who loves everything from Kill ‘Em All (1983) to St. Anger (2003) including that S&M live with the San Francisco Symphony.  Purists would love the pre-Black Album era of songs like “The Four Horseman”, “Ride The Lightning”, “Master of Puppets”, and “… And Justice For All”.  These are great tracks, no doubt.  I still remember learning the riffs of songs from that era.  Then came the 15 times platinum selling Black Album that most fans would acknowledge its significance.  Some say the Load and ReLoad eras are sell-out, way too commercialized to the hardcore fans’ liking.  Well, I happen to enjoy being indulged in those amid slower, but somewhat memorable melodies.  And as a defender of St. Anger, I find myself having to explain to people my philosophy of why St. Anger – despite lacking in Kirk’s solo – was ahead of its time.  If you listen to Death Magnetic closely, you may be able to recognize the bits and pieces originating from the chaos within St. Anger (read: If there was no St. Anger, there wouldn’t have been a Death Magnetic).

What the new producer Rick Rubin has done is amazing.  There is an overarching structure yet there are elements of jamming within; there are familiar melodic phrases yet the singing of “Sad But True” and the earlier work keeps ringing in my head; there are modern guitar effects yet the pure metal essence of the “Master of Puppets” lives inside Death Magnetic; there is even an instrumental track “Suicide & Redemption” that rivals “Orion”.  Death Magnetic is a consolidation of all that Metallica has offered in the last 25 years.  It is a unifying platform for all the Metallica fans out there to rejoice.

Related Site: Metallica TV on YouTube

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For the Geeks Game Reviews

Spore – My 1st 8 Hours

8 years in the making, 3 years of anticipation for the fans, I grabbed a copy of “Spore” in a heartbeat.  Check out these colorful pictures taken from within the game.  All these creatures and objects are created by me – from head to toe, skin color to the extra pair of eyes on the butt.

I am a meat lover so I create a carnivore [1].  In phase 1 of the game (Cell), my goal is to keep eating other creatures while avoid to be eaten by the much bigger ones.  The more it eats, the bigger it gets, and the more DNA it acquires, the more complex it evolves [2] & [3].  At this phase, it is cute, it is fun, it is 2D, and it plays like a good old arcade game.  I absolutely love it.

At the beginning of phase 2 (Creature), my creature leaves the ocean [4].  Given the option of socializing with other groups of creatures through songs and dances (no kidding) versus hunting down each species to extinction, guess which path I take [6]?

OK.  You don’t have to take the path of destruction but I want my creatures to be the blood thirst warriors.  Enter phase 3 (Tribal), my desire to dominate continues [5].  This phase plays like a real time strategy game while the previous one is more like a role playing game.

In phase 4 (Civilization), my creatures build houses, entertainment centers, factories (that I designed) and … weapons of mass destruction [7]!  We tear down rival civilizations one by one converting their economic cities into military ones, their religious ones too into military cities.  Need not to say, the game play is very much like a simplified, accelerated version of Civ.

What comes at the end of world domination?  It is time for my creatures with eyes on their butts to rule the galaxy!  First, I need a spaceship [8].

Then, I need to practice high speed flying in a 3D world [9]!

And, it is time to do some serious space travel [10].  At this phase (Space), the game is initially mission driven and there are enough things to do for the ‘end game’ such as advancing through the ranks, collecting rare items, and learning new abilities.  What is the end of this game like?  It is for you to find out!

For those who are curious, “Spore” is the first multi-genre massively single-player online game.  Before I log off, check out this quote from Will Wright, the game designer for Spore and the Sim franchise.  Some of you may be able to relate and have a good laugh on this (like I did).

We were very focused, if anything, on making a game for more casual players. “Spore” has more depth than, let’s say, “The Sims” did. But we looked at the Metacritic scores for “Sims 2”³, which was around 90, and something like “Half-Life”, which was 97, and we decided – quite a while back – that we would rather have the Metacritic and sales of “Sims 2”³ than the Metacritic and sales of “Half-Life.”

Categories
Drama Foreign Movie Reviews

Murder Of The Inugami Clan – A Detective Story That Triggers Childhood Memories

Woke up at 7am on a Friday morning, I switched on my phone an hour later and a text message arrived at my inbox: Murder Of The Inugami Clan?

Not a big fan of the genre of crime but I am happy to do a bit of give and take.  Who knows, one day the rest of the Movie Review Squad may yield to the genre of horror – something I love, and often watch alone.

Do you remember the days when you were still a young adult, grew impatience, and started to read books for the adults?  And you might have struggled to finish reading the books like me?  I remember vividly what types of books I read when I was very young: the genre of Wuxia and the Japanese detective novels translated in Chinese.

What hindered me back then hindered me this evening.  Japanese detective novels usually involve quite a number of characters and it is not easy to memorize who is who (in Japanese) as the stories develop.  “Murder of the Inugami Clan” triggers my childhood memory because the story is so similar to those that I have read when I was young: the sheer number of characters, the mystery, and the indescribable dark mood that overshadows the entire story.  The Japanese can be so creative, however illogical the stories can sometimes be.

Notable Japanese director Kon Ichikawa’s final piece of work (he passed away this year at the age of 92) has a certain darkness and bleakness within but not without a dose of humanity.  The story is set after the World War II and the wealthy Inugami patriarch passes away leaving behind a strange will with strange conditions.  A series of murder take place even before the will is announced; a series of past history begin to surface as the plot unfolds.  It is our detective’s job to put the pieces together and solve the puzzle.

I believe what Kon Ichikawa wished to retain is the traditional approach to film making as “Murder of the Inugami Clan” is a remake of his own movie created 30 years ago.  Some audience may chuckle at how unrealistic some of the murder scenes are.  I doubt if any such scene was at all realistic three decades ago.  Pockets of humor are scattered in making the film relatively more uplifting.  I personally enjoyed watching the acting.  Very old school.  (Yes, I did at times allow to watch TV when I was young and my favorite was and still is Japanese dramas).

Not necessarily a film to entertain but a film to admire without having to think too hard.  When our main character Kosuke Kindaichi, the detective, first checks into his hotel room, he looks out of his window, captivated by the beautiful greenery scenery of the mountain behind the lake,and he said something like: where a nation is defeated, nature endures.  So subtlety describes the feeling of people after the war.

Categories
Animation Movie Reviews

WALL·E – Quite Possibly A Must Watch Movie of 2008

I have high expectation on WALL·E.  Somewhat close to the level of anticipation I had with “Lilo & Stitch”.  And the movie delivers.  What a magical experience.  Don’t compromise.  Watch WALL·E in a digital format.

I walked into the theater with little knowledge of what the story is about beyond what I saw in the trailer.  What a lovely journey of discovery.  And I won’t spoil it for you here.  All I can say is that WALL·E is a timely movie talking about our environment and going green.

The jaw dropping budget of $180 million (equals to the budget of “The Dark Knight” and “The Golden Compass”) has the jaw dropping computer animation to match.  The beautiful scene of the galaxy, dust and explosion that appears so real, there are so much details that I wish I could slow down the frame rate and admire.  Beyond the eye candies is the characters’ ability to communicate feeling and emotion without words.  The filmmakers are able to mimic the essence of human body language and make the animated robotic characters alive.

I love sci-fi stories so naturally I love to watch this movie.  There are three nods from three of us in the Movie Review Squad.  So what are you waiting for?  And if you have time, check out the official site listed below.  It is quite possibly one of the most elaborated film website I have seen.  I can’t help but to marvel at the art of the animation.

Related Website: Disney Pixar WALL·E Office Site

Categories
Foreign Movie Reviews Romance

Cyborg She (僕の彼女はサイボーグ) – How Many Times Can You Alter Your Past?

I really love this Japanese film.  I am so feeling her heart  – an expression I learn from the film to describe a strong affection in a cyborg-human relationship: I feel your heart!  While the Americans are remaking the Korean success “My Sassy Girl”, the director of the aforementioned movie, Kwak Jae-yong, has created “Cyborg She”.

Let’s not look into the technical details of the paradox of time travel.  Besides, that would give out spoiler, which I don’t normally do without warning.  There are enough twists in “Cyborg She” that keep the audience in suspense all the way to the end.  The special effect of the Cyborg looks convincing, so are the scenes from a Japanese small town in the old days as well as ‘that disaster’.  The acting of the main actress Haruka Ayase (綾瀬 はるか) looks convincing too.  She is so pretty.  I read somewhere that she acted in that Japanese movie “Hero”.  She has certainly left a deeper impression this time.  If I may add, the soundtrack is great too.

Arguably one of the more original movies based on the concept of time, “Cyborg She” is my favorite romance story that involves time travel.  Exactly why the director Kwak Jae-yong likes to create female characters that are so overpowering, I have no clue.  But I always enjoy watching or reading stories that involve heroines.

If I must pick something to critic, some scenes appear to be repetitive and a bit too lengthy.  Then again, with such an eye candy, who really cares?

I have been pondering why titled as such.  “I, Robot” came into my mind.  If I think along that line, “Cyborg She” seems fine.  Time to wait for the DVD to be out!  Below is the trailer, with Chinese subtitles.

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Blu-ray / DVD Review

Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2007-08 Anniversary (DVD) – Raising the Bar Once Again

Foreign as it may sound to you, Ayumi has been a great inspiration to me.  It is a pity that many find language a barrier that is too high to cross.  Even if you are not into Ayumi’s music, watching her concert recordings will certainly open your eyes to what a live performance can be: the innovation, the overall production quality, and the superb entertainment value. 

So, what is so great about this particular indoor recording?

A large stage with moving platforms, fountains, and fireworks, a crane that takes Ayumi closer to the crowd, a talented band and a group of equally talented dancers are all attributes that we have seen before in her previous concerts.  Hence, it is a given, something you would expect to see from any Ayumi concerts.  Beyond these, here is how Ayumi celebrated her 10 years of music career.

The Stage

If how well an artist performs live is judged by how well he or she covers the stage area, Ayumi has certainly up the challenge by extending the front stage all the way to the back via a runway as well as a side stage.  Ayumi, her dancers, and her band members moved from one end of the stage to another.  In one of the bonus clips, there is a split screen on how she tunneled (via a trolley pushed by two men!) from one stage into another and ‘magically appeared’ from nowhere.

The Choreography

I may not know what the songs are about without reading the Chinese translation.  However, the choreography is so great that it communicates the stories.  One highlight is the lyrical dance on one of the slow songs.  It moves me.  And for this concert, the lead choreographer did something different: he involved the audience to practice the upper body dance moves.  During one part of a song that came much later, he gave the clue and suddenly, the entire stadium danced in unison.  The emotion is intense, even as I was siting in front of my TV.

The Personality

Inside the bonus clips, viewers get to see Ayumi’s glamor side, her humble side, and her determined side.  She is so driven in all areas though she may not be great in all.  But her quest for superb quality and bringing out the best in the people around her is just amazing.  Whatever she demands from others, I can only imagine that she demands much more from herself.

Closing Thoughts

Politically incorrect as it may sound, this image sticks in my mind.  When the Crusaders first arrived at Jerusalem, they were shocked by how advance the culture of the people in the Middle East was.  The quality of Ayumi’s production is certainly unseen of, for those who take the Western production as a benchmark.

Another image that sticks in my mind is this.  At the end of the concert, in one dramatic moment, Ayumi silenced the entire stadium, took a moment of silence, and screamed out words of thanks – without a mic.  You are my inspiration, Ayu.

Categories
J Pop Music Reviews

Anna Tsuchiya – Strip Me? Where Do You Draw the Lines?

I thought long and hard before buying the new album by a Russian/American/Japanese singer, model, and actress Anna Tsuchiya (土屋アンナ).  Exactly how do you draw the line between a good rock abum and a not so good vocalist (*ahem* I am looking at my band)?  Call it a Japanese album when 98% of the lyrics are in English?  A half Japanese who is not fluent in English but yet deliver an album not in Japanese? It’s hard to draw the lines.

One thing for sure though: She is hot!

“Strip Me?” is a rock album, no doubt.  And since I love the rock genre, I can overlook the vocal ability of Anna Tsuchiya.  Her opening track “Zero” does remind me of one of my favorite Japanese star Aikawa Nanase.  Where is Aikawa these days?  I have no idea.

Japanese artists these days like to cover English songs.  Mai Kuraki (倉木麻衣) does “Over the Rainbow”; BoA does “Last Christmas”; Yuna Ito does “My Heart Will Go On”; Mika Nakashima does “What A Wonderful World”.  They all stick to the original arrangement.  Mika Nakashima does create an offbeat version of  “My Way” that is not necessarily pleasing to the ears, but it’s fun to listen to.  And what about Anna Tsuchiya?

Some may say she (and her band) murders the song “True Colors”.  OK.  At first listen, you may not like it.  I thought the arrangement is pretty refreshing.  A lot noiser I suppose.  But she is a rock star, no?

I have been listening to the slow song “Forever” on repeat for many times.  It’s just Anna and the piano and the song is so, sad.  Below is the video clip for “Rose”.  Now come I am not surprised to find out that this song is related to the Nana amime series?  “Strip Me?” comes with a 15 tracks CD and a DVD of 4 songs – one of which is from her previous album I suppose.  OK, the song “Slap That Naughty Body” is so so but video is anything but.

Categories
Book Reviews Fiction

After Dark by Haruki Murakami – A Dark Beauty of Novelette Filled With Dualism

After reading the short story collection of “Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman“, I was left with the feeling of wanting more.  The synopsis of “After Dark” (paperback 201 pages) intrigues me.  It is midnight hour when Mari sips coffee, a young musician walks in, and they have a conversation.  Later, as Mari is alone again, a girl from a love hotel walks in, and they both head to the hotel.  A Chinese prostitute is hurt badly by her client.  Meanwhile, parallel to the main story, Mari’s sister Eri is at home, sleeping so perfectly pure.  Something is subtly wrong with this picture.  The world of imagery meets with the world of reality and how these two concepts morph into something so beautifully, something so surreal, and something so dark in the ending chapter.

Each chapter begins with a clock that tells the time spinning a story that lasts from 11:56pm to 6:52am.  The main story of Mari is engaging and the side story of Eri is surreal.  I mention dualism because if carefully observed, most characters have a two-side.  The story has the light and the dark running side by side too.  The dialogues are lively and when it comes to words that describe the vision.  They are beautiful.  An excerpt as follows (the beginning chapter).

Eyes mark the shape of the city.

Through the eyes of a high-flying night bird, we take in the scene from midair.  In our broad sweep, the city looks like a single gigantic creature – or more like a single collective entity created by many intertwining organisms.  Countless arteries stretch to the ends of its elusive body, circulating a continuous supply of fresh blood cells, sending out new data and collecting the old, sending out new consumables and collecting the old, sending out new contradictions and collecting the old.  To the rhythm of its pulsing, all parts of the body flicker and flare up and squirm.  Midnight is approaching, and while the peak of the activity has passed, the basal metabolism that maintains life continues undiminished, producing the basso continuo of the city’s moan, a monotonous sound that neither rises nor falls but is pregnant with foreboding.

The influence of the Western culture, particularly Western music and literature, continues to exhibit in Haruki Murakami’s work.  It is full of vision and sound and a worthwhile book to read if you enjoy stories that are dark and artistic.  At times, you will find yourself living inside the story, short of interacting with the characters.  Almost read like watching a short film.  For best result, start reading “After Dark” at 11:56pm – the exact time when the story begins.