Jiang Hu, The Rhapsody
Wakin Chau
At some point, a pop singer can no longer continue to churn out the same kind of music he has always done. At that point, he has to ask himself: What next?
Hong Kong-born Wakin Chau’s answer is to go big and go deep.
He made his name with ballads about love, such as I Truly Gave My Love To You and You Make Me Happy And Sad, in a career spanning more than 40 albums.
In his groundbreaking new record – the most ambitious thing he has ever done – he works with celebrated Taiwanese writer and lyricist Chang Ta-chun, drawing on Chinese history and literature to create a compelling musical tapestry. On the album itself, the lyrics are cohesively presented as a piece of calligraphic art.
Lead single Po Mo (Splash Ink) namechecks poet Li Bai and frequently references historical events and characters, while Shen Zai Liang Shan (Here On Mount Liang) draws on the classic novel, Water Margin, for inspiration.
The lyrical denseness can be challenging and even Chau acknowledges this in a largely spoken track titled Postscript: Ta-chun.
It helps that the music is equally rich, mixing elements of traditional Chinese music with modern rock instrumentation and sensibility.
A fruitful and rewarding adventure for Chau.
(ST)
Thursday, February 27, 2014
re:solve
Randy Ang
In a botched Special Tactics Unit mission, Chen Shaoqiang’s (Chris Lee Chih-cheng) mentor Wu Tianle (Sunny Pang) is killed. It devastates him and ruins his relationship with Tianle’s sister, Qizhen (Mico Chang).
Seven years later, he tries to solve a series of armed heists and murders with new partner Yongcheng (Yuan Shuai). And the signs keep pointing to a dead man.
There is some promise in the story for what is being billed as Singapore’s first action crime thriller. But the preposterous twists and turns make you want to pick at them and once you do, things begin to unravel.
The mastermind is ultimately found out through some accidental revelation by a child. And too much rests upon the fact that the “double tap” technique of placing two shots in the same spot has been used by the criminals. Is it so inconceivable that people can learn to master it? After all, there is an entire Hong Kong film about it, named, well, Double Tap (2000).
It does not help that the performances are not quite convincing, either. Lee is miscast as the conflicted Shaoqiang – he does not have the heft to pull off the role and his Taiwanese accent sits oddly with the stilted Mandarin of some of the local actors.
The attempt to inject some idol-style romance between Lee and Chang is also misguided as the two have little chemistry.
A pity, really, given that director Randy Ang’s award-winning short film Ayam Man (2013) was both fun and inventive.
(ST)
Randy Ang
In a botched Special Tactics Unit mission, Chen Shaoqiang’s (Chris Lee Chih-cheng) mentor Wu Tianle (Sunny Pang) is killed. It devastates him and ruins his relationship with Tianle’s sister, Qizhen (Mico Chang).
Seven years later, he tries to solve a series of armed heists and murders with new partner Yongcheng (Yuan Shuai). And the signs keep pointing to a dead man.
There is some promise in the story for what is being billed as Singapore’s first action crime thriller. But the preposterous twists and turns make you want to pick at them and once you do, things begin to unravel.
The mastermind is ultimately found out through some accidental revelation by a child. And too much rests upon the fact that the “double tap” technique of placing two shots in the same spot has been used by the criminals. Is it so inconceivable that people can learn to master it? After all, there is an entire Hong Kong film about it, named, well, Double Tap (2000).
It does not help that the performances are not quite convincing, either. Lee is miscast as the conflicted Shaoqiang – he does not have the heft to pull off the role and his Taiwanese accent sits oddly with the stilted Mandarin of some of the local actors.
The attempt to inject some idol-style romance between Lee and Chang is also misguided as the two have little chemistry.
A pity, really, given that director Randy Ang’s award-winning short film Ayam Man (2013) was both fun and inventive.
(ST)
Saving Mr Banks
John Lee Hancock
The story: Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) has been trying to make a film about the magical English nanny Mary Poppins for 20 years. But the books’ author, P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson), keeps turning him down. When her financial situation becomes pressing, she deigns to fly to Los Angeles for an exploratory trip. Once there, screenwriter Don DaGradi (Bradley Whitford) and music composers Richard (Jason Schwartzman) and Robert Sherman (B.J. Novak) try desperately to win her over. Meanwhile, the story of young Travers growing up in Australia with an alcoholic yet sweet father (Colin Farrell) is told in flashbacks.
The character of Mary Poppins, a nanny who flies and conjures up wonderful adventures, is both whimsical and magical. Thus, it hardly seems possible that she was created by Mrs Travers, as she insists on being addressed. In the face of such a formidable personality, whimsy would just shrivel up and crumble away. Indeed, the character exclaims in the film that Mary Poppins is the enemy of whimsy and fluff.
The greatest pleasure of Saving Mr Banks is watching Emma Thompson play the witheringly tart author. She might be better known for her Oscar-associated roles in dramas such as Howards End (1992) and Sense And Sensibility (1995), but Thompson is also a great comic actor and her timing is impeccable.
Her disdain for Los Angeles practically drips from the screen when she declares that it smells of chlorine and sweat. And when she meets Disney, she tells him to his face: “I won’t have her turned into one of your silly cartoons.”
At this point in time, in 1961, Disney is already a brand and an empire with successful films and the hugely popular Disneyland theme park. He is a man accustomed to getting his way, and Tom Hanks, no stranger himself to success, conveys that nicely.
But in the face of Travers’ unrelenting objections to songs, made-up words and character stylings, even Disney begins to wonder if he can ever get her to sign over the rights.
As this epic battle of wills gets under way, director John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side, 2009) intercuts it with scenes from Travers’ childhood. While the frequent flashbacks disrupt the rhythm of the film, they also offer some key information on the creation of Mary Poppins. Eventually, the movie’s title is explained and you understand why Travers is so fiercely protective of her work.
Fans of the 1964 film starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke would also enjoy the glimpses into the creative process of songs such as A Spoonful Of Sugar and Let’s Go Fly A Kite. And Travers’ curt dismissal of Van Dyke as a lightweight actor will likely raise a smile.
By the time Travers attends the Hollywood premiere of Mary Poppins – despite initially not getting an invitation from Disney – she would have won you over, caustic comebacks and all.
(ST)
John Lee Hancock
The story: Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) has been trying to make a film about the magical English nanny Mary Poppins for 20 years. But the books’ author, P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson), keeps turning him down. When her financial situation becomes pressing, she deigns to fly to Los Angeles for an exploratory trip. Once there, screenwriter Don DaGradi (Bradley Whitford) and music composers Richard (Jason Schwartzman) and Robert Sherman (B.J. Novak) try desperately to win her over. Meanwhile, the story of young Travers growing up in Australia with an alcoholic yet sweet father (Colin Farrell) is told in flashbacks.
The character of Mary Poppins, a nanny who flies and conjures up wonderful adventures, is both whimsical and magical. Thus, it hardly seems possible that she was created by Mrs Travers, as she insists on being addressed. In the face of such a formidable personality, whimsy would just shrivel up and crumble away. Indeed, the character exclaims in the film that Mary Poppins is the enemy of whimsy and fluff.
The greatest pleasure of Saving Mr Banks is watching Emma Thompson play the witheringly tart author. She might be better known for her Oscar-associated roles in dramas such as Howards End (1992) and Sense And Sensibility (1995), but Thompson is also a great comic actor and her timing is impeccable.
Her disdain for Los Angeles practically drips from the screen when she declares that it smells of chlorine and sweat. And when she meets Disney, she tells him to his face: “I won’t have her turned into one of your silly cartoons.”
At this point in time, in 1961, Disney is already a brand and an empire with successful films and the hugely popular Disneyland theme park. He is a man accustomed to getting his way, and Tom Hanks, no stranger himself to success, conveys that nicely.
But in the face of Travers’ unrelenting objections to songs, made-up words and character stylings, even Disney begins to wonder if he can ever get her to sign over the rights.
As this epic battle of wills gets under way, director John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side, 2009) intercuts it with scenes from Travers’ childhood. While the frequent flashbacks disrupt the rhythm of the film, they also offer some key information on the creation of Mary Poppins. Eventually, the movie’s title is explained and you understand why Travers is so fiercely protective of her work.
Fans of the 1964 film starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke would also enjoy the glimpses into the creative process of songs such as A Spoonful Of Sugar and Let’s Go Fly A Kite. And Travers’ curt dismissal of Van Dyke as a lightweight actor will likely raise a smile.
By the time Travers attends the Hollywood premiere of Mary Poppins – despite initially not getting an invitation from Disney – she would have won you over, caustic comebacks and all.
(ST)
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Cheer Chen Songs Of Transience Singapore Concert
Singapore Indoor Stadium
Last Saturday
If the goal of most Mandopop concerts is to get the crowd pumped up and on a high, then this was the anti-concert.
Taking its cue from the contemplative new album Songs Of Transience (2013), the night started off on a mellow note. Perched several metres high on a tiny platform, Taiwanese indie queen Cheer Chen sang the title track while the cosmos swirled above and behind her.
Mid-tempo and slow songs such as A Box Of Rain, Fly For You and Immortal followed. Often, she sang with her eyes closed, as if lost in a reverie as she ruminated on time, life and love.
While lightsticks would light up the stadium at most gigs, there was a soothing and calming darkness here. The odd lightstick here and there were like lonely beacons in a black sea.
As if reluctant to break the spell, the singer-songwriter did not even address the crowd of 4,000 until after 10 songs, thanking them for coming.
But with Peace & Revolution, the mood changed.
It was as though Chen had woken from her reverie and was ready to party. Dressed in black with a one-sleeved top and wearing a mask with a trail of red cloth fluttering away from her, she unleashed her inner rock goddess as she wielded a guitar for the hippie-rock number.
She also got to show off her musical versatility on Groupies. She faced off against the various musicians on stage and played guitars, a miniature harp and drums in quick succession.
And then on 1234567, she happily interacted with the fans in front, shaking hands and taking selfies with their mobile phones.
When she announced that View With A Grain Of Sand was “in theory” the last song, it seemed almost too soon. Then she added: “The world is full of exceptions, but only you can make it happen.”
It turned out to be quite an exception as she went on to perform another nine songs.
Chen had actually been ill with a bad bout of the flu in Taipei and had wondered if she would have to cancel the gig. Then she added: “Maybe the medicine is in Singapore, I think I’ve been cured by you.”
She also quipped: “Because my condition was quite serious, the treatment needs to be longer.”
Fan favourites such as Travel With Sound and Lonely Without You were covered in the encores.
She also recounted the stories behind Walk Home and Home, tracks found on her new record.
She said earnestly: “I hope you can be your own home so that home is wherever you are. Today, you are my home.”
The three-hour-long concert ended with an intimate performance of After 17. It was just Chen and a guitar, and it felt as cosy as home.
(ST)
Singapore Indoor Stadium
Last Saturday
If the goal of most Mandopop concerts is to get the crowd pumped up and on a high, then this was the anti-concert.
Taking its cue from the contemplative new album Songs Of Transience (2013), the night started off on a mellow note. Perched several metres high on a tiny platform, Taiwanese indie queen Cheer Chen sang the title track while the cosmos swirled above and behind her.
Mid-tempo and slow songs such as A Box Of Rain, Fly For You and Immortal followed. Often, she sang with her eyes closed, as if lost in a reverie as she ruminated on time, life and love.
While lightsticks would light up the stadium at most gigs, there was a soothing and calming darkness here. The odd lightstick here and there were like lonely beacons in a black sea.
As if reluctant to break the spell, the singer-songwriter did not even address the crowd of 4,000 until after 10 songs, thanking them for coming.
But with Peace & Revolution, the mood changed.
It was as though Chen had woken from her reverie and was ready to party. Dressed in black with a one-sleeved top and wearing a mask with a trail of red cloth fluttering away from her, she unleashed her inner rock goddess as she wielded a guitar for the hippie-rock number.
She also got to show off her musical versatility on Groupies. She faced off against the various musicians on stage and played guitars, a miniature harp and drums in quick succession.
And then on 1234567, she happily interacted with the fans in front, shaking hands and taking selfies with their mobile phones.
When she announced that View With A Grain Of Sand was “in theory” the last song, it seemed almost too soon. Then she added: “The world is full of exceptions, but only you can make it happen.”
It turned out to be quite an exception as she went on to perform another nine songs.
Chen had actually been ill with a bad bout of the flu in Taipei and had wondered if she would have to cancel the gig. Then she added: “Maybe the medicine is in Singapore, I think I’ve been cured by you.”
She also quipped: “Because my condition was quite serious, the treatment needs to be longer.”
Fan favourites such as Travel With Sound and Lonely Without You were covered in the encores.
She also recounted the stories behind Walk Home and Home, tracks found on her new record.
She said earnestly: “I hope you can be your own home so that home is wherever you are. Today, you are my home.”
The three-hour-long concert ended with an intimate performance of After 17. It was just Chen and a guitar, and it felt as cosy as home.
(ST)
Friday, February 21, 2014
Stefanie Sun 2014 Kepler World Tour
Taipei Arena
Five years, one marriage and a childbirth later, Singaporean singer Stefanie Sun returned to Taipei last Friday and Saturday with her new concert, Kepler.
And it was a triumphant comeback as she held court for three hours at Taipei Arena and basked in the adulation of her fans.
She appeared with a head of bright orange hair atop a raised platform and sang her breakthrough hit, Cloudy Sky. The tempo was slowed down a little, all the better to showcase her powerful and distinctive pipes. She was in the middle of a massive eye-shaped frame and it seemed as though the cosmos was shimmering on the screen behind her.
It was a dramatic start to an entertaining show.
She was in fine vocal form throughout the night, be it raising the energy level with First Day or tugging at hearts with Start To Understand.
A high-octane segment with fast-paced numbers such as Green Light followed. Her stamina seemed to have improved and late in the show, she even pulled off a half-somersault with the help of her dancers.
She seemed relaxed and happy on stage and she might well have her son to thank for that.
With some slinky moves to Magic and a fiery performance, she sure was one hot mama. It was all the more impressive considering that she has never come across as a natural dancer. Yet here she was moving and singing with the confidence and swagger of a pop queen. And when she sang the wrong lyrics at one point, she simply announced it, to indulgent laughter from her fans.
The costumes were eye-catching and glittery and included a short teal dress and a figure-hugging shimmery jumpsuit. Often, her legs would be sheathed in leggings with a metallic sheen to them.
The concert was titled Kepler, after the lead single from her forthcoming album, from which she performed two other new tracks – Infinite Possibilities and the ballad Angel’s Fingerprints.
While fans applauded the new works, it was also clear that they wanted the familiar hits. The final stretch of the concert was a giant karaoke session as hit followed hit.
Sun quipped: “My concert ends now. This is now your concert and I want to hear you sing.” My Love, Love Certificate, Start To Understand and I’m Not Sad were turned into duets as Sun and her fans sang to each other.
The singer also had a surprise guest on the second night. She sang the first stanza of Moonlight In The City and then in walked her Singaporean compatriot Mavis Hee, the ballad’s original singer.
The crowd roared with approval as Hee had not performed in Taipei in more than a decade, according to the Taiwan media.
In addition to dueting with Sun, she also performed Regret and her mellifluous voice was as soothing as ever.
What a night to have two of Singapore’s singers enthralling Taipei Arena.
Showing up to support Sun were her family and friends, including pop star Jolin Tsai – who caused a stir when she was spotted in the stands before the show started. And the camera kept zooming in on Sun’s beaming husband during her encore of Cloudy Sky.
Of course, there were her loyal fans as well. Their fervour moved Sun to say: “l’ve been a singer for so long, I never imagined I would be so lucky.”
Her fans would say that they are the lucky ones.
(ST)
Taipei Arena
Five years, one marriage and a childbirth later, Singaporean singer Stefanie Sun returned to Taipei last Friday and Saturday with her new concert, Kepler.
And it was a triumphant comeback as she held court for three hours at Taipei Arena and basked in the adulation of her fans.
She appeared with a head of bright orange hair atop a raised platform and sang her breakthrough hit, Cloudy Sky. The tempo was slowed down a little, all the better to showcase her powerful and distinctive pipes. She was in the middle of a massive eye-shaped frame and it seemed as though the cosmos was shimmering on the screen behind her.
It was a dramatic start to an entertaining show.
She was in fine vocal form throughout the night, be it raising the energy level with First Day or tugging at hearts with Start To Understand.
A high-octane segment with fast-paced numbers such as Green Light followed. Her stamina seemed to have improved and late in the show, she even pulled off a half-somersault with the help of her dancers.
She seemed relaxed and happy on stage and she might well have her son to thank for that.
With some slinky moves to Magic and a fiery performance, she sure was one hot mama. It was all the more impressive considering that she has never come across as a natural dancer. Yet here she was moving and singing with the confidence and swagger of a pop queen. And when she sang the wrong lyrics at one point, she simply announced it, to indulgent laughter from her fans.
The costumes were eye-catching and glittery and included a short teal dress and a figure-hugging shimmery jumpsuit. Often, her legs would be sheathed in leggings with a metallic sheen to them.
The concert was titled Kepler, after the lead single from her forthcoming album, from which she performed two other new tracks – Infinite Possibilities and the ballad Angel’s Fingerprints.
While fans applauded the new works, it was also clear that they wanted the familiar hits. The final stretch of the concert was a giant karaoke session as hit followed hit.
Sun quipped: “My concert ends now. This is now your concert and I want to hear you sing.” My Love, Love Certificate, Start To Understand and I’m Not Sad were turned into duets as Sun and her fans sang to each other.
The singer also had a surprise guest on the second night. She sang the first stanza of Moonlight In The City and then in walked her Singaporean compatriot Mavis Hee, the ballad’s original singer.
The crowd roared with approval as Hee had not performed in Taipei in more than a decade, according to the Taiwan media.
In addition to dueting with Sun, she also performed Regret and her mellifluous voice was as soothing as ever.
What a night to have two of Singapore’s singers enthralling Taipei Arena.
Showing up to support Sun were her family and friends, including pop star Jolin Tsai – who caused a stir when she was spotted in the stands before the show started. And the camera kept zooming in on Sun’s beaming husband during her encore of Cloudy Sky.
Of course, there were her loyal fans as well. Their fervour moved Sun to say: “l’ve been a singer for so long, I never imagined I would be so lucky.”
Her fans would say that they are the lucky ones.
(ST)
The Monuments Men
George Clooney
The story: In the last days of World War II in 1944, Lieutenant Frank Stokes (George Clooney) puts together a unit of men for an unusual mission – to track down the priceless art and artefacts stolen by the Nazis and save them from destruction. The group of seven comprises curators and art historians, including James Granger (Matt Damon) and Richard Campbell (Bill Murray). Parisian curator Claire Simone (Cate Blanchett) has to decide whether she will help them. Based on the non-fiction book, The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves And The Greatest Treasure Hunt In History by Robert M. Edsel.
What is worth more: A work of art or a man’s life?
Trying to save paintings and sculptures at a time when war is raging and lives are being lost in battle could well seem foolhardy. So early on, Stokes frames the mission for the men and the audience. He points out that you can wipe out a generation of people and they will come back, but if you destroy their art, it will be as if they never existed.
But while the mission is noble, the reaction they get on the ground is often dismissive, if not outright hostile, and their resources are pitifully meagre.
There is promise here for an entertaining treasure hunt romp as a bunch of unlikely characters fights against the odds and tries to find out where the artworks have been squirrelled away. But the movie mostly meanders along and is a little too low-key in the hands of star and director Clooney.
Given that liberties have already been taken with the names of the characters, who are based loosely on actual people, why not push it further and go for a tighter and funnier story?
After all, quite a cast of comic actors has been assembled, from the ever-reliable John Goodman to the wonderfully dour Bob Balaban. There is also Jean Dujardin from The Artist (2011) and Hugh Bonneville from British television’s period drama Downton Abbey.
The other problem with the sprawling cast is that you do not get a good grasp of the characters and why they would put their lives on the line for a mission that may be worthy but is, nevertheless, undertaken in a time of war.
As the group splits up and encounters separate adventures, the film feels a little scattered. Goodman and Dujardin are pinned down by a sniper, Balaban and Murray share a smoke with a young soldier and Damon tries to persuade Blanchett that, unlike the Germans and the Russians, they want to return the art to their rightful owners.
Still, you root for them as they race against time to foil the Nazis’ dastardly plan of destroying everything if Hitler died and also to thwart the Russians from rushing in to claim their spoils of victory.
By the movie’s end, you would be astounded by the scale of German greed and the sheer audacity of the systematic looting.
And yes, the film does provide an answer to the primary query it poses regarding the value of art vis-a-vis human life. You might not agree, but what is less questionable is that the men, and women, of the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives programme helped to safeguard a collective heritage that we can all enjoy today.
(ST)
George Clooney
The story: In the last days of World War II in 1944, Lieutenant Frank Stokes (George Clooney) puts together a unit of men for an unusual mission – to track down the priceless art and artefacts stolen by the Nazis and save them from destruction. The group of seven comprises curators and art historians, including James Granger (Matt Damon) and Richard Campbell (Bill Murray). Parisian curator Claire Simone (Cate Blanchett) has to decide whether she will help them. Based on the non-fiction book, The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves And The Greatest Treasure Hunt In History by Robert M. Edsel.
What is worth more: A work of art or a man’s life?
Trying to save paintings and sculptures at a time when war is raging and lives are being lost in battle could well seem foolhardy. So early on, Stokes frames the mission for the men and the audience. He points out that you can wipe out a generation of people and they will come back, but if you destroy their art, it will be as if they never existed.
But while the mission is noble, the reaction they get on the ground is often dismissive, if not outright hostile, and their resources are pitifully meagre.
There is promise here for an entertaining treasure hunt romp as a bunch of unlikely characters fights against the odds and tries to find out where the artworks have been squirrelled away. But the movie mostly meanders along and is a little too low-key in the hands of star and director Clooney.
Given that liberties have already been taken with the names of the characters, who are based loosely on actual people, why not push it further and go for a tighter and funnier story?
After all, quite a cast of comic actors has been assembled, from the ever-reliable John Goodman to the wonderfully dour Bob Balaban. There is also Jean Dujardin from The Artist (2011) and Hugh Bonneville from British television’s period drama Downton Abbey.
The other problem with the sprawling cast is that you do not get a good grasp of the characters and why they would put their lives on the line for a mission that may be worthy but is, nevertheless, undertaken in a time of war.
As the group splits up and encounters separate adventures, the film feels a little scattered. Goodman and Dujardin are pinned down by a sniper, Balaban and Murray share a smoke with a young soldier and Damon tries to persuade Blanchett that, unlike the Germans and the Russians, they want to return the art to their rightful owners.
Still, you root for them as they race against time to foil the Nazis’ dastardly plan of destroying everything if Hitler died and also to thwart the Russians from rushing in to claim their spoils of victory.
By the movie’s end, you would be astounded by the scale of German greed and the sheer audacity of the systematic looting.
And yes, the film does provide an answer to the primary query it poses regarding the value of art vis-a-vis human life. You might not agree, but what is less questionable is that the men, and women, of the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives programme helped to safeguard a collective heritage that we can all enjoy today.
(ST)
Friday, February 14, 2014
Zero
Faith Yang
Taiwanese singer Faith Yang seems like someone you do not mess with: She bristles with attitude and a rock swagger not often found in the world of Mandopop.
New album Zero does nothing to dispel this impression.
On the opening track Parrot, she proclaims: “I reject love that’s too hollow, don’t be like a parrot, waiting to be praised.” Humourless finds her brusquely putting down a suitor: “I have never gotten your sense of humour/That’s why I’m cold, not that I’ve not said it before, but you just don’t hear.”
Her philosophy could well be summed up on Love Myself when she sings: “I love you, but I love myself more.”
But there are also moments of vulnerability and tenderness here.
On Exhibitionist, she lays bare her insecurities: “I’m like a clown, feeling especially empty and lonely after the laughter and applause.” But even tenderness is barbed on Missed Call: “A missed call is the cruel concern you show me.”
Her last album of original material was the memorable Continuation (2007). In it, she was imperious on Dame and moving on the beautifully spare I Leave Myself.
Zero, only her fifth full-length album since 1997’s One, remains true to form, if a shade less compelling. But with her distinctive vocals and clear-eyed sentiment, she could never be accused of parroting anyone else.
(ST)
Faith Yang
Taiwanese singer Faith Yang seems like someone you do not mess with: She bristles with attitude and a rock swagger not often found in the world of Mandopop.
New album Zero does nothing to dispel this impression.
On the opening track Parrot, she proclaims: “I reject love that’s too hollow, don’t be like a parrot, waiting to be praised.” Humourless finds her brusquely putting down a suitor: “I have never gotten your sense of humour/That’s why I’m cold, not that I’ve not said it before, but you just don’t hear.”
Her philosophy could well be summed up on Love Myself when she sings: “I love you, but I love myself more.”
But there are also moments of vulnerability and tenderness here.
On Exhibitionist, she lays bare her insecurities: “I’m like a clown, feeling especially empty and lonely after the laughter and applause.” But even tenderness is barbed on Missed Call: “A missed call is the cruel concern you show me.”
Her last album of original material was the memorable Continuation (2007). In it, she was imperious on Dame and moving on the beautifully spare I Leave Myself.
Zero, only her fifth full-length album since 1997’s One, remains true to form, if a shade less compelling. But with her distinctive vocals and clear-eyed sentiment, she could never be accused of parroting anyone else.
(ST)
Thursday, February 13, 2014
I’m So Excited
Pedro Almodovar
The story: A plane en-route from Madrid to Mexico City encounters equipment trouble and pilots Alex (Antonio de la Torre) and Benito (Hugo Silva) have to look for a runway for an emergency landing. Meanwhile, gay stewards Joserra (Javier Camara), Fajas (Carlos Areces) and Ulloa (Raul Arevalo) try to keep spirits up with a heady mix of alcohol, drugs and a campy routine to The Pointer Sisters’ signature hit, I’m So Excited. The kooky passengers in business class include high-class dominatrix Norma (Cecilia Roth) and psychic virgin Bruna (Lola Duenas).
In times of crisis, people reveal their true colours and dark secrets. And with life and death at stake here, skeletons come tumbling out in a hurry.
Married pilot Alex has to juggle his marriage with his affair with Joserra, the chief steward on the flight. And bicurious pilot Benito (think of Silva as a sexier version of Zach Braff) gradually comes to terms with his sexuality with a little help from Ulloa.
Fluid sexual identity is a constant theme in the films of Spanish film-maker Pedro Almodovar and it has been compellingly explored in works such as All About My Mother (1999) and Bad Education (2004). Here, he is content to milk the topic for laughs.
The bunch of actors are all game.
Camara is a hoot as he drinks like a fish and proclaims his inability to tell a lie, Areces is a religious fanatic with an eye on the hunky newly wed groom while Arevalo is the deadpan and slutty one. Together, they put on a campy-licious rendition of I’m So Excited, lip-syncing and sashaying along with the best of them.
Apart from the sexual shenanigans among the flight crew, there are also the stories of the passengers to delve into. But in the end, there are simply too many balls to juggle in this screwball comedy.
There is the dominatrix who fears that someone is after her life, the father hoping to reconnect with his runaway daughter, the mysterious Mexican who carries with him the stench of death and the psychic virgin looking to get lucky.
Some of the detours get draggy, particularly the one involving an actor, his depressive-suicidal girlfriend and his ex.
It all culminates in an alcohol- and drug-fuelled session of mile-high-club loving as crew and passengers pair off and make out. Everyone, that is, except for the poor sods in economy class who have all passed out after having been doped with muscle relaxants.
Maybe there is a point here about class division and discrimination, but it is not something the writer-director is overly concerned with.
File this under Almodovar-lite.
(ST)
Pedro Almodovar
The story: A plane en-route from Madrid to Mexico City encounters equipment trouble and pilots Alex (Antonio de la Torre) and Benito (Hugo Silva) have to look for a runway for an emergency landing. Meanwhile, gay stewards Joserra (Javier Camara), Fajas (Carlos Areces) and Ulloa (Raul Arevalo) try to keep spirits up with a heady mix of alcohol, drugs and a campy routine to The Pointer Sisters’ signature hit, I’m So Excited. The kooky passengers in business class include high-class dominatrix Norma (Cecilia Roth) and psychic virgin Bruna (Lola Duenas).
In times of crisis, people reveal their true colours and dark secrets. And with life and death at stake here, skeletons come tumbling out in a hurry.
Married pilot Alex has to juggle his marriage with his affair with Joserra, the chief steward on the flight. And bicurious pilot Benito (think of Silva as a sexier version of Zach Braff) gradually comes to terms with his sexuality with a little help from Ulloa.
Fluid sexual identity is a constant theme in the films of Spanish film-maker Pedro Almodovar and it has been compellingly explored in works such as All About My Mother (1999) and Bad Education (2004). Here, he is content to milk the topic for laughs.
The bunch of actors are all game.
Camara is a hoot as he drinks like a fish and proclaims his inability to tell a lie, Areces is a religious fanatic with an eye on the hunky newly wed groom while Arevalo is the deadpan and slutty one. Together, they put on a campy-licious rendition of I’m So Excited, lip-syncing and sashaying along with the best of them.
Apart from the sexual shenanigans among the flight crew, there are also the stories of the passengers to delve into. But in the end, there are simply too many balls to juggle in this screwball comedy.
There is the dominatrix who fears that someone is after her life, the father hoping to reconnect with his runaway daughter, the mysterious Mexican who carries with him the stench of death and the psychic virgin looking to get lucky.
Some of the detours get draggy, particularly the one involving an actor, his depressive-suicidal girlfriend and his ex.
It all culminates in an alcohol- and drug-fuelled session of mile-high-club loving as crew and passengers pair off and make out. Everyone, that is, except for the poor sods in economy class who have all passed out after having been doped with muscle relaxants.
Maybe there is a point here about class division and discrimination, but it is not something the writer-director is overly concerned with.
File this under Almodovar-lite.
(ST)
Friday, February 07, 2014
Really
Matilda Tao
Really? Taiwan’s Matilda Tao returns to the music scene eight years after Walkin’ To New York (2005) and it turns out to be a slice of electronic pop. But the title track and first single soon grew on me and the rap-dance number managed the neat trick of making her sound current without making her sound desperate.
It helps that the names behind the track are none other than Mandopop king Jay Chou, who wrote the music, and top lyricist Lin Xi.
More surprises await in the album. Opening track Ah Well, by Chou and lyricist Vincent Fang, has Tao rapping away at rapid-fire speed over a sinuous melody line.
For those who remember her best for the ballad Leave Me and the rallying cry of Stand Up Sisters, this new Tao takes a little getting used to. In that case, you might want to head for I Won’t Wish You Well first, a beautifully bittersweet ballad. She croons: “I won’t say I wish you well, I won’t wish you well/I don’t want to prove we were a mistake.”
There is also a groovy R&B ballad with Khalil Fong and a tender number titled Child.
At first, the album seemed like a disparate collection of pretty good songs. But it is actually a multi-faceted offering which takes in all her different identities from talk-show host with the gift of the gab to pop singer to mother of two.
And that makes it a richly layered comeback which will keep drawing you back. Really.
(ST)
Matilda Tao
Really? Taiwan’s Matilda Tao returns to the music scene eight years after Walkin’ To New York (2005) and it turns out to be a slice of electronic pop. But the title track and first single soon grew on me and the rap-dance number managed the neat trick of making her sound current without making her sound desperate.
It helps that the names behind the track are none other than Mandopop king Jay Chou, who wrote the music, and top lyricist Lin Xi.
More surprises await in the album. Opening track Ah Well, by Chou and lyricist Vincent Fang, has Tao rapping away at rapid-fire speed over a sinuous melody line.
For those who remember her best for the ballad Leave Me and the rallying cry of Stand Up Sisters, this new Tao takes a little getting used to. In that case, you might want to head for I Won’t Wish You Well first, a beautifully bittersweet ballad. She croons: “I won’t say I wish you well, I won’t wish you well/I don’t want to prove we were a mistake.”
There is also a groovy R&B ballad with Khalil Fong and a tender number titled Child.
At first, the album seemed like a disparate collection of pretty good songs. But it is actually a multi-faceted offering which takes in all her different identities from talk-show host with the gift of the gab to pop singer to mother of two.
And that makes it a richly layered comeback which will keep drawing you back. Really.
(ST)
Thursday, February 06, 2014
The Monkey King
Soi Cheang
The story: Banished by the Jade Emperor (Chow Yun Fat) to Flaming Mountain after a failed attack, the Bull Demon King (Aaron Kwok) bides his time for vengeance. The monkey king Sun Wukong (Donnie Yen) is unaware that he is a crucial part of the plan. Egged on by the Bull Demon King, Sun goes on to wreak havoc in heaven. Based on an episode of Wu Chengen’s Ming Dynasty literary classic, Journey To The West.
It is a big gamble to bury your bankable leading man beneath a coat of animal fur – and it is one that does not quite pay off here.
Action star Donnie Yen is known for his deft moves and stoic demeanour, such as in the flicks about martial arts figure Ip Man. In The Monkey King, he is completely unrecognisable in simian make-up, complete with upturned nostrils and sharp teeth.
To be fair, quite a bit of attention was paid to details and it might even have been an acting breakthrough for Yen.
Freed from being himself, so to speak, he scampers and bounds about like a hyperactive child and even conveys that spunky mischievousness of Sun. No mean feat for a man of 50.
Still, you cannot quite shake off the nagging feeling that this is a man in a monkey suit and the impression is strengthened when you see an entire troop of monkeys. Presumably, less attention was paid to the get-up of the other monkeys since they were not played by top stars.
Other missteps include the Mandarin dubbing, which was curiously bloodless (when the Bull Demon King declared that he would attack heaven when the chance arose, it sounded as though Kwok was ordering takeout); largely forgettable guest star cameos, from Kelly Chen as the Goddess of Mercy to Gigi Leung as a celestial fairy; and the decision to give the monkey king a romantic interest in the form of a fox spirit – this just comes across arbitrary and wrong.
The film is also dragged down by the heavy use of computer-generated imagery.
As with The Sorcerer And The White Snake (2011), the landscapes conjured up are decidedly fake-looking. You can just imagine the actors pacing about in front of a green screen while the underwhelming Heavenly Palace is being generated by some bored interns.
Worse, even the actors go missing in the climactic battle, as two CGI creatures slug it out while CGI debris floats about, generating little in the way of excitement. Yawn.
Journey To The West is such a strong story that it can survive much tinkering, as in Stephen Chow’s 2013 adaptation of the same name. Unfortunately, it sinks under a deluge of subpar CGI. In fact, the two-part The Monkey King (1961, 1964) was a far more engaging movie and all it had was relatively simple hand-drawn animation.
The lesson here: Get the story right and stop monkeying around with CGI.
(ST)
Soi Cheang
The story: Banished by the Jade Emperor (Chow Yun Fat) to Flaming Mountain after a failed attack, the Bull Demon King (Aaron Kwok) bides his time for vengeance. The monkey king Sun Wukong (Donnie Yen) is unaware that he is a crucial part of the plan. Egged on by the Bull Demon King, Sun goes on to wreak havoc in heaven. Based on an episode of Wu Chengen’s Ming Dynasty literary classic, Journey To The West.
It is a big gamble to bury your bankable leading man beneath a coat of animal fur – and it is one that does not quite pay off here.
Action star Donnie Yen is known for his deft moves and stoic demeanour, such as in the flicks about martial arts figure Ip Man. In The Monkey King, he is completely unrecognisable in simian make-up, complete with upturned nostrils and sharp teeth.
To be fair, quite a bit of attention was paid to details and it might even have been an acting breakthrough for Yen.
Freed from being himself, so to speak, he scampers and bounds about like a hyperactive child and even conveys that spunky mischievousness of Sun. No mean feat for a man of 50.
Still, you cannot quite shake off the nagging feeling that this is a man in a monkey suit and the impression is strengthened when you see an entire troop of monkeys. Presumably, less attention was paid to the get-up of the other monkeys since they were not played by top stars.
Other missteps include the Mandarin dubbing, which was curiously bloodless (when the Bull Demon King declared that he would attack heaven when the chance arose, it sounded as though Kwok was ordering takeout); largely forgettable guest star cameos, from Kelly Chen as the Goddess of Mercy to Gigi Leung as a celestial fairy; and the decision to give the monkey king a romantic interest in the form of a fox spirit – this just comes across arbitrary and wrong.
The film is also dragged down by the heavy use of computer-generated imagery.
As with The Sorcerer And The White Snake (2011), the landscapes conjured up are decidedly fake-looking. You can just imagine the actors pacing about in front of a green screen while the underwhelming Heavenly Palace is being generated by some bored interns.
Worse, even the actors go missing in the climactic battle, as two CGI creatures slug it out while CGI debris floats about, generating little in the way of excitement. Yawn.
Journey To The West is such a strong story that it can survive much tinkering, as in Stephen Chow’s 2013 adaptation of the same name. Unfortunately, it sinks under a deluge of subpar CGI. In fact, the two-part The Monkey King (1961, 1964) was a far more engaging movie and all it had was relatively simple hand-drawn animation.
The lesson here: Get the story right and stop monkeying around with CGI.
(ST)
Monday, February 03, 2014
Gone Case
The phrase “gone case” is something you might find in one of those lists of Things Singaporeans Say. Sure, others may understand it and even use it to describe something or someone who is hopeless, but it still seems to be quintessentially local.
And so it is with this two-part small-screen adaptation of Dave Chua’s award-winning 1997 novel of the same name.
Part 1 is available via MediaCorp’s Catch-Up TV service and Part 2 airs on Channel 5 on Sunday at 10pm.
The protagonist of the story is 12-year-old Yong (Lim Chu Yeang). He is an ordinary boy living in an HDB estate in 1996 and his best friend, Liang (Chen Jing Jun), lives nearby.
It is a year of changes and upheavals as his grandmother dies, a gangster menaces the neighbourhood, money troubles dog his father (Zheng Geping) and mother (Yvonne Lim), and friendship is tested. Through it all, the PSLE (Primary School Leaving Examination) hangs over him like a dark cloud.
It sounds like melodrama territory but Chua’s treatment and director Ler Jiyuan’s take is anything but. Ler, who has worked on TV dramas such as The Pupil and Code Of Law, takes a subtle and quietly observant approach that refreshingly steers clear of histrionics.
Yong is, after all, not your usual, heroic protagonist. He is mild-mannered and kind of passive and is still carrying some baby fat. He is at that awkward age where he sees and understands more than adults give him credit for, and yet, he is often powerless to change things.
Chu Yeang, who had played the titular schoolboy in The Diary Of Amos Lee on okto, is well-cast as Yong and you root for him to make it through a turbulent year.
From a violent gangster to the less mature and mercurial Liang, there are stronger contenders for the label of gone case. The drama is also nicely anchored in a specific time and place with the use of a few choice period details such as a pager and a rectangular housephone.
Notably, Gone Case is not afraid to venture into some dark places. For example, in a fit of frustration over his squabbling parents, he ends up hitting his younger brother. Violence intrudes as well in the form of an older gangster with a nasty temper.
Then there are the screams in the neighbourhood which taunt and trouble Yong and make the world seem like a sinister place.
The reassuring voiceover narration by an adult Yong, though, suggests that he survives it all.
Not everything is explained and neatly tied up at the end and that is fine. Some mysteries are never solved, but that is life. The only thing certain about it is that it goes on.
(ST)
The phrase “gone case” is something you might find in one of those lists of Things Singaporeans Say. Sure, others may understand it and even use it to describe something or someone who is hopeless, but it still seems to be quintessentially local.
And so it is with this two-part small-screen adaptation of Dave Chua’s award-winning 1997 novel of the same name.
Part 1 is available via MediaCorp’s Catch-Up TV service and Part 2 airs on Channel 5 on Sunday at 10pm.
The protagonist of the story is 12-year-old Yong (Lim Chu Yeang). He is an ordinary boy living in an HDB estate in 1996 and his best friend, Liang (Chen Jing Jun), lives nearby.
It is a year of changes and upheavals as his grandmother dies, a gangster menaces the neighbourhood, money troubles dog his father (Zheng Geping) and mother (Yvonne Lim), and friendship is tested. Through it all, the PSLE (Primary School Leaving Examination) hangs over him like a dark cloud.
It sounds like melodrama territory but Chua’s treatment and director Ler Jiyuan’s take is anything but. Ler, who has worked on TV dramas such as The Pupil and Code Of Law, takes a subtle and quietly observant approach that refreshingly steers clear of histrionics.
Yong is, after all, not your usual, heroic protagonist. He is mild-mannered and kind of passive and is still carrying some baby fat. He is at that awkward age where he sees and understands more than adults give him credit for, and yet, he is often powerless to change things.
Chu Yeang, who had played the titular schoolboy in The Diary Of Amos Lee on okto, is well-cast as Yong and you root for him to make it through a turbulent year.
From a violent gangster to the less mature and mercurial Liang, there are stronger contenders for the label of gone case. The drama is also nicely anchored in a specific time and place with the use of a few choice period details such as a pager and a rectangular housephone.
Notably, Gone Case is not afraid to venture into some dark places. For example, in a fit of frustration over his squabbling parents, he ends up hitting his younger brother. Violence intrudes as well in the form of an older gangster with a nasty temper.
Then there are the screams in the neighbourhood which taunt and trouble Yong and make the world seem like a sinister place.
The reassuring voiceover narration by an adult Yong, though, suggests that he survives it all.
Not everything is explained and neatly tied up at the end and that is fine. Some mysteries are never solved, but that is life. The only thing certain about it is that it goes on.
(ST)
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