Ten Storeys
Kenny Khoo
The promising debut album from local singer-songwriter Kenny Khoo is unabashedly commercial and it can already be said to be a success in this regard, as it topped the authoritative G-Music album chart in Taiwan, ahead of Cantopop god of song Eason Chan no less.
Opening track Wounded is an easy-on-the-ear ballad as he emotes: “Why is it that the ground is littered with those wounded by love/Who can say/Everything in love is worth it.”
Care has been taken, though, not to have him pinned down as a sensitive balladeer – he shows that he is versatile enough as a singer to take on upbeat numbers such as Phoenix and Against All Odds.
While the album is a little raw in parts and occasionally slightly off diction, it is encouraging that he composed all of the music and had a hand in all of the lyrics as well.
(ST)
Thursday, June 19, 2014
Time Doesn't Heal
Freya Lim
Speaking In Tongues
Yoga Lin
It seems like Malaysian singer Freya Lim is trying to hold on to time.
She is still attempting to recapture the glory of her 2010 comeback album, Holding Back The Tears, which featured tracks for Taiwanese television series The Fierce Wife.
Similarly, the title track here is the ending theme song from another drama, Fabulous 30, while Ming Ming Ai Ni (Hidden Love) is from In A Good Way.
But while Tears was a beautifully cohesive record, Time is only intermittently interesting.
Apart from the two drama theme song ballads, the other track that leaves an impression is Yan Yu (Romance). The mood here is a little sexy and a little regretful: “Loving is like a charged encounter, it grows old with memory/If you discover soundless lightning, it must be someone sighing.”
Unfortunately, too many tracks fall into a bland, mid-tempo morass. Rather than trying to attract attention with oversized record-sleeve packaging, why couldn’t the album do it with solid material?
Time to try something new.
That is what Taiwanese singer Yoga Lin does on his EP, for which he composed the music and wrote the lyrics for the two tracks. Speaking In Tongues is also the name of his recently concluded world tour before he heads off for his compulsory military duty later this year.
The collaboration with indie band Elephant Gym is a light rock number which finds Lin contemplating departure: “I’m so close to an exit, no reason/ Don’t let me stay, don’t secretly hold on to me anymore.”
The other song, Elephant Slide, is a sweet tribute to his mother. It seemed like an odd choice to rope in Bobby Chen Sheng with his gruff voice, but it is unexpected enough to just about work.
An intriguing offering to mull over while Lin marches off stage – at least, for a while.
(ST)
Freya Lim
Speaking In Tongues
Yoga Lin
It seems like Malaysian singer Freya Lim is trying to hold on to time.
She is still attempting to recapture the glory of her 2010 comeback album, Holding Back The Tears, which featured tracks for Taiwanese television series The Fierce Wife.
Similarly, the title track here is the ending theme song from another drama, Fabulous 30, while Ming Ming Ai Ni (Hidden Love) is from In A Good Way.
But while Tears was a beautifully cohesive record, Time is only intermittently interesting.
Apart from the two drama theme song ballads, the other track that leaves an impression is Yan Yu (Romance). The mood here is a little sexy and a little regretful: “Loving is like a charged encounter, it grows old with memory/If you discover soundless lightning, it must be someone sighing.”
Unfortunately, too many tracks fall into a bland, mid-tempo morass. Rather than trying to attract attention with oversized record-sleeve packaging, why couldn’t the album do it with solid material?
Time to try something new.
That is what Taiwanese singer Yoga Lin does on his EP, for which he composed the music and wrote the lyrics for the two tracks. Speaking In Tongues is also the name of his recently concluded world tour before he heads off for his compulsory military duty later this year.
The collaboration with indie band Elephant Gym is a light rock number which finds Lin contemplating departure: “I’m so close to an exit, no reason/ Don’t let me stay, don’t secretly hold on to me anymore.”
The other song, Elephant Slide, is a sweet tribute to his mother. It seemed like an odd choice to rope in Bobby Chen Sheng with his gruff voice, but it is unexpected enough to just about work.
An intriguing offering to mull over while Lin marches off stage – at least, for a while.
(ST)
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Meeting The Giant
Tay Ping Hui
The story: When China teenager Chen Hang (Delvin Goh) joins Junhui’s (Chua Seng Jin) secondary school basketball team, he is ostracised for being bigger-sized – and for being good at the game. He later joins a professional team which Junhui’s father manages. As Junhui tags along for their training sessions, he witnesses firsthand the challenges faced by the foreign import players such as Xiaodi (Ian Fang) and Shaohua (Michael Lee).
The giant of the title refers to the towering Chen Hang.
When the China national joins a local basketball team, he is mockingly called Yao Ming, China’s most famous basketballer who played for Houston Rockets in the United States from 1997 to 2011.
His arrival ignites the jealousy of the other team members and leads to complaints from a parent about foreign imports squeezing out local talent.
The script by first-time director Tay Ping Hui, producer Zhu Houren (credited as Jack Choo) and writer-host Danny Yeo takes inspiration from the debate that has been brewing in Singapore over the influx of immigrants.
But instead of being an “issues” film which wrestles with this one topic, Meeting The Giant is an empathetic sports drama which manages to sidestep the usual cliches of the genre.
Rather than a hoary showdown competition, the climactic game is one in which the individual fates of the players are decided.
Admittedly, one problem with having an entire team of players is that there is not enough screen time for everyone to make an impression.
Still, a few actors manage to make their characters stand out, from Goh’s gentle giant Chen Hang to Lee’s driven captain Shaohua to Fang’s childish Xiaodi.
The film also points out the host of sacrifices and challenges they have to confront at their young age: homesickness, the pressures of having to perform as well as having to earn their keep.
In contrast, Junhui has the luxury of lounging around playing video games in his free time.
But as he trains with the China players, his initial resistance to the idea of foreign imports melts away as they become his friends. As Harper Lee wrote in the classic novel To Kill A Mockingbird (1960), you cannot understand a person “until you climb into his skin and walk around in it”.
Some of the scenes here feel a little heavy-handed, such as the grand send-off for Hang when he leaves home for Singapore. But Tay also shows that he can tell a thoughtful story as well as put together some energetically choreographed sequences conveying the excitement of a basketball game.
The film does not provide any direct answers to the us-versus-them debate but it does undercut the question. With the exception of Lee and Fang, whoare from China, all the China players are convincingly played by Singaporeans (albeit with dubbing since nothing would betray their identity faster than a Singaporean accent).
It turns out that the distinction between “us” and “them” is blurrer than a photograph on Instagram.
(ST)
Tay Ping Hui
The story: When China teenager Chen Hang (Delvin Goh) joins Junhui’s (Chua Seng Jin) secondary school basketball team, he is ostracised for being bigger-sized – and for being good at the game. He later joins a professional team which Junhui’s father manages. As Junhui tags along for their training sessions, he witnesses firsthand the challenges faced by the foreign import players such as Xiaodi (Ian Fang) and Shaohua (Michael Lee).
The giant of the title refers to the towering Chen Hang.
When the China national joins a local basketball team, he is mockingly called Yao Ming, China’s most famous basketballer who played for Houston Rockets in the United States from 1997 to 2011.
His arrival ignites the jealousy of the other team members and leads to complaints from a parent about foreign imports squeezing out local talent.
The script by first-time director Tay Ping Hui, producer Zhu Houren (credited as Jack Choo) and writer-host Danny Yeo takes inspiration from the debate that has been brewing in Singapore over the influx of immigrants.
But instead of being an “issues” film which wrestles with this one topic, Meeting The Giant is an empathetic sports drama which manages to sidestep the usual cliches of the genre.
Rather than a hoary showdown competition, the climactic game is one in which the individual fates of the players are decided.
Admittedly, one problem with having an entire team of players is that there is not enough screen time for everyone to make an impression.
Still, a few actors manage to make their characters stand out, from Goh’s gentle giant Chen Hang to Lee’s driven captain Shaohua to Fang’s childish Xiaodi.
The film also points out the host of sacrifices and challenges they have to confront at their young age: homesickness, the pressures of having to perform as well as having to earn their keep.
In contrast, Junhui has the luxury of lounging around playing video games in his free time.
But as he trains with the China players, his initial resistance to the idea of foreign imports melts away as they become his friends. As Harper Lee wrote in the classic novel To Kill A Mockingbird (1960), you cannot understand a person “until you climb into his skin and walk around in it”.
Some of the scenes here feel a little heavy-handed, such as the grand send-off for Hang when he leaves home for Singapore. But Tay also shows that he can tell a thoughtful story as well as put together some energetically choreographed sequences conveying the excitement of a basketball game.
The film does not provide any direct answers to the us-versus-them debate but it does undercut the question. With the exception of Lee and Fang, whoare from China, all the China players are convincingly played by Singaporeans (albeit with dubbing since nothing would betray their identity faster than a Singaporean accent).
It turns out that the distinction between “us” and “them” is blurrer than a photograph on Instagram.
(ST)
The Fault In Our Stars
Josh Boone
The story: Hazel (Shailene Woodley) is depressed from battling thyroid cancer. But when the 17-year-old meets the sunny Augustus Waters (Ansel Elgort), 18, at a support group, things start looking up. Gus’ osteosarcoma is in remission but he had to have his leg amputated. They bond over being ill and also over a novel, An Imperial Affliction. And then bad news strikes. Based on the best-selling 2012 novel of the same name by John Green.
Star-crossed lovers have been thwarted by everything from disapproving families to cruel twists of fate. If they get together, it is a romantic comedy; if they do not, it is a tragedy.
On balance, the odds are probably around 50-50. But they drop dramatically when terminal illness enters the picture. It is hard to have a happy ending when at least one party is likely to eventually drop dead.
Within the narrow confines of that genre, though, this film does a good job in getting you to root for the young lovers and put you through the emotional wringer when the Grim Reaper reaches out.
Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort are well cast in the main roles. Casting is tricky because if the leads are too good-looking, there is the risk of this turning into an idol drama coasting along on sickly chic cheekbones and glib emotions.
Woodley is approachably girl-next-door and proves she has the range to go from sullen teen in The Descendants (2011) to action heroine in Divergent (2014) to romantic lead here.
Neither is Elgort, who also starred in Divergent, aggressively good-looking. But he has enough of a sunny, jockish look for Hazel’s disbelief to ring true when she learns that he is a virgin.
The connection between Hazel and Gus feels genuine and deeper as they have to contemplate death and their place in the world along with more mundane concerns.
In the midst of sick lit territory here, there is also humour and a little bit of sexiness to lighten the gloom. Director Josh Boone (who wrote and directed Stuck In Love, 2012) handles the material with a light and assured touch.
After countless movies where couples who meet and bond over shared music tastes, it is nice to have one bonding over a book. It also helps to propel the movie forward – Hazel and Gus embark on a little adventure to meet the author of the book (a crotchety Willem Dafoe) in Amsterdam.
In its opening week in the United States, the film moved to a first-place finish ahead of A-list projects Tom Cruise’s sci-fi vehicle Edge Of Tomorrow and Angelina Jolie’s Maleficent. Both the book’s strong fanbase and Boone’s sensitive adaptation probably helped.
The stars were certainly aligned for the movie.
(ST)
Josh Boone
The story: Hazel (Shailene Woodley) is depressed from battling thyroid cancer. But when the 17-year-old meets the sunny Augustus Waters (Ansel Elgort), 18, at a support group, things start looking up. Gus’ osteosarcoma is in remission but he had to have his leg amputated. They bond over being ill and also over a novel, An Imperial Affliction. And then bad news strikes. Based on the best-selling 2012 novel of the same name by John Green.
Star-crossed lovers have been thwarted by everything from disapproving families to cruel twists of fate. If they get together, it is a romantic comedy; if they do not, it is a tragedy.
On balance, the odds are probably around 50-50. But they drop dramatically when terminal illness enters the picture. It is hard to have a happy ending when at least one party is likely to eventually drop dead.
Within the narrow confines of that genre, though, this film does a good job in getting you to root for the young lovers and put you through the emotional wringer when the Grim Reaper reaches out.
Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort are well cast in the main roles. Casting is tricky because if the leads are too good-looking, there is the risk of this turning into an idol drama coasting along on sickly chic cheekbones and glib emotions.
Woodley is approachably girl-next-door and proves she has the range to go from sullen teen in The Descendants (2011) to action heroine in Divergent (2014) to romantic lead here.
Neither is Elgort, who also starred in Divergent, aggressively good-looking. But he has enough of a sunny, jockish look for Hazel’s disbelief to ring true when she learns that he is a virgin.
The connection between Hazel and Gus feels genuine and deeper as they have to contemplate death and their place in the world along with more mundane concerns.
In the midst of sick lit territory here, there is also humour and a little bit of sexiness to lighten the gloom. Director Josh Boone (who wrote and directed Stuck In Love, 2012) handles the material with a light and assured touch.
After countless movies where couples who meet and bond over shared music tastes, it is nice to have one bonding over a book. It also helps to propel the movie forward – Hazel and Gus embark on a little adventure to meet the author of the book (a crotchety Willem Dafoe) in Amsterdam.
In its opening week in the United States, the film moved to a first-place finish ahead of A-list projects Tom Cruise’s sci-fi vehicle Edge Of Tomorrow and Angelina Jolie’s Maleficent. Both the book’s strong fanbase and Boone’s sensitive adaptation probably helped.
The stars were certainly aligned for the movie.
(ST)
THE NOTEBOOK (2004)
Stars: Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams
Story: Noah and Allie fall in love but her parents object to the relationship. Years later, an elderly Noah recites the story to an Allie who can’t remember the past as a result of Alzheimer’s. Based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks.
Why it’s famous: In a moment of lucidity, Allie asks Noah if their love is strong enough to “take them away together”. The next day, a nurse finds they have died peacefully together in their sleep. The film, a sleeper hit, earned US$115.6 million worldwide and turned Gosling and McAdams into marquee names.
You may not know that: When director Nick Cassavetes first cast Gosling, possibly then best known for playing a Jewish neo-Nazi in The Believer (2001), the actor thought: “He’s crazy. I couldn’t be more wrong for this movie.”
Hanky rating: ****
C’EST LA VIE, MON CHERIE (1994)
Stars: Anita Yuen, Sean Lau Ching Wan
Story: The bubbly Min is part of a Cantonese street opera troupe and she cheers up the recently broken- hearted Kit, a struggling jazz musician. She is later re-diagnosed with bone cancer.
Why it’s famous: It won five prizes at the 1994 Hong Kong Film Awards, including for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress. Yuen was named Best Actress at the same event for the gender-bending comedy He’s A Woman, She’s A Man (1994).
You may not know that: The international title is in French and it means That’s Life, My Darling. It is ungrammatical as it should be either Ma Cherie, for a woman, or Mon Cheri, for a man.
Hanky rating: ****
LOVE STORY (1970)
Stars: Ali MacGraw, Ryan O’Neal
Story: Well-to-do Harvard boy Oliver and working-class Radcliffe girl Jenny fall in love against his father’s wishes. It is never explicitly stated what disease she has but it is speculated to be leukaemia. Based on the 1970 bestselling novel of the same name by Erich Segal.
Why it’s famous: The line “Love means never having to say you’re sorry” is said by Jenny to Oliver, and by Oliver to his father. It was the top-grossing film of 1970 in the United States and Canada with US$106 million. The late critic Roger Ebert defined Ali MacGraw’s disease as a movie illness in which “the only symptom is that the patient grows more beautiful until finally dying”.
You may not know that: Tommy Lee Jones made his film debut here in a small role as a Harvard student.
Hanky rating: ***
UNDER THE HAWTHORN TREE (2010)
Stars: Zhou Dongyu, Shawn Dou
Story: During the Cultural Revolution in China, high school senior Zhang Jingqiu is sent from the city to learn from peasants in a remote village.
A pure love between her and a soldier, Sun Jianxin, blossoms while she is there but he later develops leukaemia. Based on the novel Hawthorn Tree Forever by the author Aimi.
Why it’s famous: Feted director Zhang Yimou chose to work with fresh faces yet again: Actress- model Zhou and Chinese-Canadian actor Dou.
You may not know that: Dou won the first prize at the SunShine Nation pageant in Vancouver in 2007.
Hanky rating: ***
MY GIRL (1991)
Stars: Anna Chlumsky, Macaulay Culkin
Story: A coming-of-age story of 11-year-old hypochondriac Vada. She shares an innocent first kiss with Thomas J., who later dies from an allergic reaction to a bee sting.
Why it’s famous: Culkin was already a huge star with Home Alone (1990) and having him killed off was traumatic for quite a few people. In the teen soap The OC, a male character confesses after a bout of crying that he has not cried like that “since Macaulay Culkin died in My Girl”.
You may not know that: This was Chlumsky’s first starring role. She later took a break from acting to study at the University of Chicago and returned in 2006 to act in TV shows such as 30 Rock, Veep and Hannibal.
Hanky rating: ***
AMOUR (2012)
Stars: Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva
Story: Anne and husband Georges are retired piano teachers in their 80s. He takes care of her after she suffers a stroke, and then another. At one point, she tells him that she does not want to go on living.
Why it’s famous: It won the Palme d’Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. Michael Haneke’s film might not make you weep buckets but it is a devastating study about what it means to love someone. It has also been called a horror film about ageing.
You may not know that: The film was inspired by a real-life event as Haneke had been “confronted with the suffering of a loved one in the family” – an aunt who had brought him up had committed suicide.
Hanky rating: ** ½
A WALK TO REMEMBER (2002)
Stars: Mandy Moore, Shane West
Story: The jockish Landon falls for the quiet, bookish Jamie after they act in a play together. Unknown to him, she has leukaemia and has stopped responding to treatments.
Why it’s famous: This was then-teen singer Moore’s attempt to break into the movies with her first starring role. The film struck a chord with the target audience and she won accolades at the MTV Movie Awards and Teen Choice Awards in 2002. West, once touted as the next big thing, did not hit the big time, but has worked steadily and appeared on medical drama ER and action series Nikita.
You may not know that: Another Nicholas Sparks adaptation, with the inspiration for the novel being his sister, Danielle Sparks Lewis, who died of cancer in 2000.
Hanky rating: **
P.S. I LOVE YOU (2007)
Stars: Hilary Swank, Gerard Butler
Story: After the death of her husband Gerry from a brain tumour, Holly withdraws from the world. On her 30th birthday, she receives the first of several messages Gerry had left for her, all ending with “P.S. I love you”. Based on the 2004 novel of the same name by Cecelia Ahern.
Why it’s famous: This was Butler’s year with 300 showcasing his abs and this film showcasing his sensitive side. He reveals in an interview on ShortList.com that people yell “This is Sparta” at him probably as often as he gets women coming up to him and saying “P.S. I love you”.
You may not know that: Butler, who is Scottish, reportedly apologised for his attempt at an Irish accent.
Hanky rating: * ½
AUTUMN IN NEW YORK (2000)
Stars: Richard Gere, Winona Ryder
Story: A successful middle-aged restaurateur Will, falls in love with a spirited young woman Charlotte, who is terminally ill with neuroblastoma, a form of cancer.
Why it’s famous: This was supposed to be a touching tearjerking romance but the May-December pairing was too distracting for most. The film was nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Screen Couple.
You may not know that: This was China actress Joan Chen’s English language directorial debut after her well-received helming of Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl (1998).
Hanky rating: *
SWEET NOVEMBER (2001)
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Charlize Theron
Story: Nelson spends a wonderful November with the free-spirited Sara, who is terminally ill with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. A remake of the 1968 film of the same name.
Why it’s famous: Actually, it is infamous and widely panned. The film was nominated for three Razzie Awards including Worst Remake or Sequel, Worst Actor and Worst Actress but did not “win” any.
You may not know that: Reeves and Theron previously acted as husband-and-wife in the mystery thriller The Devil’s Advocate (1997). There were rumours that the two were secretly dating and that Reeves was devastated when Theron chose Sean Penn over him.
Hanky rating: *
(ST)
Stars: Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams
Story: Noah and Allie fall in love but her parents object to the relationship. Years later, an elderly Noah recites the story to an Allie who can’t remember the past as a result of Alzheimer’s. Based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks.
Why it’s famous: In a moment of lucidity, Allie asks Noah if their love is strong enough to “take them away together”. The next day, a nurse finds they have died peacefully together in their sleep. The film, a sleeper hit, earned US$115.6 million worldwide and turned Gosling and McAdams into marquee names.
You may not know that: When director Nick Cassavetes first cast Gosling, possibly then best known for playing a Jewish neo-Nazi in The Believer (2001), the actor thought: “He’s crazy. I couldn’t be more wrong for this movie.”
Hanky rating: ****
C’EST LA VIE, MON CHERIE (1994)
Stars: Anita Yuen, Sean Lau Ching Wan
Story: The bubbly Min is part of a Cantonese street opera troupe and she cheers up the recently broken- hearted Kit, a struggling jazz musician. She is later re-diagnosed with bone cancer.
Why it’s famous: It won five prizes at the 1994 Hong Kong Film Awards, including for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress. Yuen was named Best Actress at the same event for the gender-bending comedy He’s A Woman, She’s A Man (1994).
You may not know that: The international title is in French and it means That’s Life, My Darling. It is ungrammatical as it should be either Ma Cherie, for a woman, or Mon Cheri, for a man.
Hanky rating: ****
LOVE STORY (1970)
Stars: Ali MacGraw, Ryan O’Neal
Story: Well-to-do Harvard boy Oliver and working-class Radcliffe girl Jenny fall in love against his father’s wishes. It is never explicitly stated what disease she has but it is speculated to be leukaemia. Based on the 1970 bestselling novel of the same name by Erich Segal.
Why it’s famous: The line “Love means never having to say you’re sorry” is said by Jenny to Oliver, and by Oliver to his father. It was the top-grossing film of 1970 in the United States and Canada with US$106 million. The late critic Roger Ebert defined Ali MacGraw’s disease as a movie illness in which “the only symptom is that the patient grows more beautiful until finally dying”.
You may not know that: Tommy Lee Jones made his film debut here in a small role as a Harvard student.
Hanky rating: ***
UNDER THE HAWTHORN TREE (2010)
Stars: Zhou Dongyu, Shawn Dou
Story: During the Cultural Revolution in China, high school senior Zhang Jingqiu is sent from the city to learn from peasants in a remote village.
A pure love between her and a soldier, Sun Jianxin, blossoms while she is there but he later develops leukaemia. Based on the novel Hawthorn Tree Forever by the author Aimi.
Why it’s famous: Feted director Zhang Yimou chose to work with fresh faces yet again: Actress- model Zhou and Chinese-Canadian actor Dou.
You may not know that: Dou won the first prize at the SunShine Nation pageant in Vancouver in 2007.
Hanky rating: ***
MY GIRL (1991)
Stars: Anna Chlumsky, Macaulay Culkin
Story: A coming-of-age story of 11-year-old hypochondriac Vada. She shares an innocent first kiss with Thomas J., who later dies from an allergic reaction to a bee sting.
Why it’s famous: Culkin was already a huge star with Home Alone (1990) and having him killed off was traumatic for quite a few people. In the teen soap The OC, a male character confesses after a bout of crying that he has not cried like that “since Macaulay Culkin died in My Girl”.
You may not know that: This was Chlumsky’s first starring role. She later took a break from acting to study at the University of Chicago and returned in 2006 to act in TV shows such as 30 Rock, Veep and Hannibal.
Hanky rating: ***
AMOUR (2012)
Stars: Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva
Story: Anne and husband Georges are retired piano teachers in their 80s. He takes care of her after she suffers a stroke, and then another. At one point, she tells him that she does not want to go on living.
Why it’s famous: It won the Palme d’Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. Michael Haneke’s film might not make you weep buckets but it is a devastating study about what it means to love someone. It has also been called a horror film about ageing.
You may not know that: The film was inspired by a real-life event as Haneke had been “confronted with the suffering of a loved one in the family” – an aunt who had brought him up had committed suicide.
Hanky rating: ** ½
A WALK TO REMEMBER (2002)
Stars: Mandy Moore, Shane West
Story: The jockish Landon falls for the quiet, bookish Jamie after they act in a play together. Unknown to him, she has leukaemia and has stopped responding to treatments.
Why it’s famous: This was then-teen singer Moore’s attempt to break into the movies with her first starring role. The film struck a chord with the target audience and she won accolades at the MTV Movie Awards and Teen Choice Awards in 2002. West, once touted as the next big thing, did not hit the big time, but has worked steadily and appeared on medical drama ER and action series Nikita.
You may not know that: Another Nicholas Sparks adaptation, with the inspiration for the novel being his sister, Danielle Sparks Lewis, who died of cancer in 2000.
Hanky rating: **
P.S. I LOVE YOU (2007)
Stars: Hilary Swank, Gerard Butler
Story: After the death of her husband Gerry from a brain tumour, Holly withdraws from the world. On her 30th birthday, she receives the first of several messages Gerry had left for her, all ending with “P.S. I love you”. Based on the 2004 novel of the same name by Cecelia Ahern.
Why it’s famous: This was Butler’s year with 300 showcasing his abs and this film showcasing his sensitive side. He reveals in an interview on ShortList.com that people yell “This is Sparta” at him probably as often as he gets women coming up to him and saying “P.S. I love you”.
You may not know that: Butler, who is Scottish, reportedly apologised for his attempt at an Irish accent.
Hanky rating: * ½
AUTUMN IN NEW YORK (2000)
Stars: Richard Gere, Winona Ryder
Story: A successful middle-aged restaurateur Will, falls in love with a spirited young woman Charlotte, who is terminally ill with neuroblastoma, a form of cancer.
Why it’s famous: This was supposed to be a touching tearjerking romance but the May-December pairing was too distracting for most. The film was nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Screen Couple.
You may not know that: This was China actress Joan Chen’s English language directorial debut after her well-received helming of Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl (1998).
Hanky rating: *
SWEET NOVEMBER (2001)
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Charlize Theron
Story: Nelson spends a wonderful November with the free-spirited Sara, who is terminally ill with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. A remake of the 1968 film of the same name.
Why it’s famous: Actually, it is infamous and widely panned. The film was nominated for three Razzie Awards including Worst Remake or Sequel, Worst Actor and Worst Actress but did not “win” any.
You may not know that: Reeves and Theron previously acted as husband-and-wife in the mystery thriller The Devil’s Advocate (1997). There were rumours that the two were secretly dating and that Reeves was devastated when Theron chose Sean Penn over him.
Hanky rating: *
(ST)
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Mention Cambodia and culinary finesse is unlikely to be the first thing that comes to mind. But a visit to Phnom Penh reveals a bubbling fine dining scene.
After delving into the country’s glorious ancient history and horrific recent past, boost your energy and spirits with a satisfying treat. There are enough options to pack a three- to four-day trip with deliciousness ranging from South American tapas to deep-fried tarantulas. A foodie trip to Cambodia is definitely an option to bear in mind with the number of long weekends to come this year and next.
For our group of five, we were able to have very good meals for about US$20 (S$25) a head. The most expensive meal was at La Residence, which came to under US$50 a head. While the local currency is Cambodian riel, US dollars are accepted everywhere and is the currency that prices are quoted in.
The list here is by no means exhaustive and one regret I have is missing out on the restaurant Common Tiger. It was closed on a Monday evening when we tried to get a booking.
The New York Times says its South African chef, Timothy Bruyns, “artfully reimagines Cambodian flavours with his molecular gastronomy-inspired fare like a peanut-lime crusted sea bass with jasmine rice discs”.
It will just have to wait till the next trip.
FRIENDS THE RESTAURANT
215 Street 13
Tel: +855-12-802-072
Website: www.tree-alliance.org/our-restaurants/friends.asp
ROMDENG
74 Street 174
Tel: +855-92-219-565
Website: www.tree-alliance.org/our-restaurants/romdeng.asp
Eat a meal and support a good cause at Friends The Restaurant and Romdeng.
They are sister eateries which provide street kids and marginalised youth and adults with a means of living as cooks and wait staff.
Friends offers an extensive menu of dishes for sharing and we pick the ones that catch our eye, from stir fried red tree ants with beef fillet and holy basil (US$7.50) to Burmese chicken curry on crispy noodles with smoked chillies and pickled mustard greens (US$5.75).
We also asked if we could order tarantulas, a local delicacy, even though they only have it on the menu at Romdeng. They obligingly agreed as it was just located nearby and we got to satisfy our curiosity.
The critters turned out to be smaller than expected since every photo of the dish is in extreme close-up. Turns out that deep fried arachnids taste pretty similar to soft shell crab. And no, you do not feel the hairy legs scuttling down your throat.
What packed a little more bite was the coconut and chilli ice-cream with the wonderfully smoky charred pineapple (US$4.25).
The food was decent enough that we made a separate visit to Romdeng, which is about a 10-minute walk away from Friends. Its fortuitous appearance just when we needed to take a break from the searing heat helped as well.
I rounded off a lunch of mango salad, stuffed squid and amok with a refreshing lime black pepper sorbet. But the daiquiri version was, as my friend declared, “awesome”.
MALIS
136 Street 41 Norodom Boulevard
Tel: +855-707-944-2380
Website: www.malis-restaurant.com
Centred around a restful courtyard, Malis was opened in 2004 as one of the first upscale Cambodian restaurants in the country. We had an unforgettable lunch here as every dish was refined and full of freshness and flavour from the bamboo shoots and smoked fish soup (US$7.50) to the pork and banana blossoms salad (US$6.50).
The traditional Khmer dish amok (US$7), or steamed curried fish, was the best we had, both delicate and robust at the same time. Even better was the baked goby (US$15). It looked disconcertingly reptilian head-on but that was no deterrent to a group of hungry diners who picked it clean. The fish was so fresh that the lemongrass, garlic and salt crust it was baked with was enough to bring out its flavour.
TEPUI AT CHINESE HOUSE
Chinese House, 45 Sisowath Quay
Tel: +855-23-991-514
Website: www.tepui.asia
The head chef, Gisela Salazar Golding, is from Venezuela and the food on offer here is South American tapas with Japanese accents. From the empanadas filled with beef picadillo and goat cream cheese to the prettily seared scallops to the Sake Rojito cocktail, there was a nice balance of flavours that suggested that someone had put a lot of thought into them.
Located in a house built by a Chinese trader in 1903, and restored in 2009, it now hosts a restaurant, lounge bar and gallery for your lounging and art-browsing needs in one convenient space.
LA RESIDENCE
22-24 Street 214, tel: +855-23-224-582
Website: www.la-residence-restaurant. com
Dine like royalty in the former residence of Prince Norodom Ranariddh.
The kitchen is helmed by Swiss-trained Japanese chef Takeshi Kamo. The menu is classically French with some Japanese accents, from the wagyu beef options to a soft shell crab starter. I went for the beef carpaccio with local green pepper from Kampot, grilled skate fish and had chocolate eclair for dessert. The meal was pleasant enough without being particularly exciting.
For those on a tight budget, go for the US$15 three-course set lunch.
PUBLIC HOUSE
The 240½ Alleyway (off Street 240)
Tel: 855-17-770-754
Website: Search for Public House Phnom Penh in Facebook.
BAR.SITO
The 240½ Alleyway (off Street 240)
Tel: 855-77-960-413
Website: Search for Bar.sito in Facebook.
It feels like a Harry Potter adventure when we set off in search of alleyway 240½.
And it took some convincing from the tuk-tuk driver that we had come to the right place since neither the restaurant nor the bar are exactly visible from the main road. They are tucked into an alley in a poshly quiet area.
You can order food from Public House and have it at the bar, but we decide to sit down at a proper table in a well-lit space instead. Unfortunately, the ventilation was terrible at Public House and they messed up the doneness for two steaks. At least they were nice enough to redo the order to exactly how we wanted it. The menu is mostly western and includes pub favourites such as burgers and fish and chips.
The cooling darkness of Bar.Sito felt like a respite after the stuffiness of House but one is soon reminded that smoking indoors is allowed here. Cocktails are US$5 each and happy hour is from 5 to 7pm.
FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS’ CLUB
363 Sisowath Quay
Tel: +855-23-724-014
Website: fcccambodia.com
Is this it? We wondered because there was only a sign and stairs leading up a somewhat shabby-looking building. The Foreign Correspondents’ Club does not actually have much of a streetfront space but no matter, you don’t come here for the street view.
Instead, drop by in the evening for a sundowner as the Tonle Sap river, which the rooftop bar overlooks, gets bathed in rosy light. And the good news is that one-for-one happy hour deals are available from 5 to 7pm. Cocktails normally cost US$4.95 a glass.
The FCC Transfusion, a concoction of vodka, limes, cranberry juice and ginger ale, is perfect for quenching thirst and beating the heat. They serve food here as well, a mix of Asian and Western fare, but we do not make it past the liquids section.
ELEPHANT BAR
Raffles Hotel Le Royal, 92 Rukhak Vithei Daun Penh, Sangkat Wat Phnom
Tel: +855-23-981-888
Website: www.raffles.com/phnom-penh/dining/elephant-bar
No less a luminary than the late glamorous Jacqueline Kennedy has graced the bar – and they have the glass with her lipstick mark still on it to prove it. They also have a signature champagne cocktail to commemorate her 1967 visit, mischievously named Femme Fatale.
Happy hour from 4 to 9pm gets you a 50 per cent discount (cocktails are normally around US$10 each) so relax in a comfy rattan chair in the classily cosy surroundings. And pick a tipple which tickles your fancy from the Bou Sraa Waterfall to the Paris Sling (“like Singapore Sling, but stronger” said our server). The drinks are strong so take care not to guzzle like an elephant.
(ST)
After delving into the country’s glorious ancient history and horrific recent past, boost your energy and spirits with a satisfying treat. There are enough options to pack a three- to four-day trip with deliciousness ranging from South American tapas to deep-fried tarantulas. A foodie trip to Cambodia is definitely an option to bear in mind with the number of long weekends to come this year and next.
For our group of five, we were able to have very good meals for about US$20 (S$25) a head. The most expensive meal was at La Residence, which came to under US$50 a head. While the local currency is Cambodian riel, US dollars are accepted everywhere and is the currency that prices are quoted in.
The list here is by no means exhaustive and one regret I have is missing out on the restaurant Common Tiger. It was closed on a Monday evening when we tried to get a booking.
The New York Times says its South African chef, Timothy Bruyns, “artfully reimagines Cambodian flavours with his molecular gastronomy-inspired fare like a peanut-lime crusted sea bass with jasmine rice discs”.
It will just have to wait till the next trip.
FRIENDS THE RESTAURANT
215 Street 13
Tel: +855-12-802-072
Website: www.tree-alliance.org/our-restaurants/friends.asp
ROMDENG
74 Street 174
Tel: +855-92-219-565
Website: www.tree-alliance.org/our-restaurants/romdeng.asp
Eat a meal and support a good cause at Friends The Restaurant and Romdeng.
They are sister eateries which provide street kids and marginalised youth and adults with a means of living as cooks and wait staff.
Friends offers an extensive menu of dishes for sharing and we pick the ones that catch our eye, from stir fried red tree ants with beef fillet and holy basil (US$7.50) to Burmese chicken curry on crispy noodles with smoked chillies and pickled mustard greens (US$5.75).
We also asked if we could order tarantulas, a local delicacy, even though they only have it on the menu at Romdeng. They obligingly agreed as it was just located nearby and we got to satisfy our curiosity.
The critters turned out to be smaller than expected since every photo of the dish is in extreme close-up. Turns out that deep fried arachnids taste pretty similar to soft shell crab. And no, you do not feel the hairy legs scuttling down your throat.
What packed a little more bite was the coconut and chilli ice-cream with the wonderfully smoky charred pineapple (US$4.25).
The food was decent enough that we made a separate visit to Romdeng, which is about a 10-minute walk away from Friends. Its fortuitous appearance just when we needed to take a break from the searing heat helped as well.
I rounded off a lunch of mango salad, stuffed squid and amok with a refreshing lime black pepper sorbet. But the daiquiri version was, as my friend declared, “awesome”.
MALIS
136 Street 41 Norodom Boulevard
Tel: +855-707-944-2380
Website: www.malis-restaurant.com
Centred around a restful courtyard, Malis was opened in 2004 as one of the first upscale Cambodian restaurants in the country. We had an unforgettable lunch here as every dish was refined and full of freshness and flavour from the bamboo shoots and smoked fish soup (US$7.50) to the pork and banana blossoms salad (US$6.50).
The traditional Khmer dish amok (US$7), or steamed curried fish, was the best we had, both delicate and robust at the same time. Even better was the baked goby (US$15). It looked disconcertingly reptilian head-on but that was no deterrent to a group of hungry diners who picked it clean. The fish was so fresh that the lemongrass, garlic and salt crust it was baked with was enough to bring out its flavour.
TEPUI AT CHINESE HOUSE
Chinese House, 45 Sisowath Quay
Tel: +855-23-991-514
Website: www.tepui.asia
The head chef, Gisela Salazar Golding, is from Venezuela and the food on offer here is South American tapas with Japanese accents. From the empanadas filled with beef picadillo and goat cream cheese to the prettily seared scallops to the Sake Rojito cocktail, there was a nice balance of flavours that suggested that someone had put a lot of thought into them.
Located in a house built by a Chinese trader in 1903, and restored in 2009, it now hosts a restaurant, lounge bar and gallery for your lounging and art-browsing needs in one convenient space.
LA RESIDENCE
22-24 Street 214, tel: +855-23-224-582
Website: www.la-residence-restaurant. com
Dine like royalty in the former residence of Prince Norodom Ranariddh.
The kitchen is helmed by Swiss-trained Japanese chef Takeshi Kamo. The menu is classically French with some Japanese accents, from the wagyu beef options to a soft shell crab starter. I went for the beef carpaccio with local green pepper from Kampot, grilled skate fish and had chocolate eclair for dessert. The meal was pleasant enough without being particularly exciting.
For those on a tight budget, go for the US$15 three-course set lunch.
PUBLIC HOUSE
The 240½ Alleyway (off Street 240)
Tel: 855-17-770-754
Website: Search for Public House Phnom Penh in Facebook.
BAR.SITO
The 240½ Alleyway (off Street 240)
Tel: 855-77-960-413
Website: Search for Bar.sito in Facebook.
It feels like a Harry Potter adventure when we set off in search of alleyway 240½.
And it took some convincing from the tuk-tuk driver that we had come to the right place since neither the restaurant nor the bar are exactly visible from the main road. They are tucked into an alley in a poshly quiet area.
You can order food from Public House and have it at the bar, but we decide to sit down at a proper table in a well-lit space instead. Unfortunately, the ventilation was terrible at Public House and they messed up the doneness for two steaks. At least they were nice enough to redo the order to exactly how we wanted it. The menu is mostly western and includes pub favourites such as burgers and fish and chips.
The cooling darkness of Bar.Sito felt like a respite after the stuffiness of House but one is soon reminded that smoking indoors is allowed here. Cocktails are US$5 each and happy hour is from 5 to 7pm.
FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS’ CLUB
363 Sisowath Quay
Tel: +855-23-724-014
Website: fcccambodia.com
Is this it? We wondered because there was only a sign and stairs leading up a somewhat shabby-looking building. The Foreign Correspondents’ Club does not actually have much of a streetfront space but no matter, you don’t come here for the street view.
Instead, drop by in the evening for a sundowner as the Tonle Sap river, which the rooftop bar overlooks, gets bathed in rosy light. And the good news is that one-for-one happy hour deals are available from 5 to 7pm. Cocktails normally cost US$4.95 a glass.
The FCC Transfusion, a concoction of vodka, limes, cranberry juice and ginger ale, is perfect for quenching thirst and beating the heat. They serve food here as well, a mix of Asian and Western fare, but we do not make it past the liquids section.
ELEPHANT BAR
Raffles Hotel Le Royal, 92 Rukhak Vithei Daun Penh, Sangkat Wat Phnom
Tel: +855-23-981-888
Website: www.raffles.com/phnom-penh/dining/elephant-bar
No less a luminary than the late glamorous Jacqueline Kennedy has graced the bar – and they have the glass with her lipstick mark still on it to prove it. They also have a signature champagne cocktail to commemorate her 1967 visit, mischievously named Femme Fatale.
Happy hour from 4 to 9pm gets you a 50 per cent discount (cocktails are normally around US$10 each) so relax in a comfy rattan chair in the classily cosy surroundings. And pick a tipple which tickles your fancy from the Bou Sraa Waterfall to the Paris Sling (“like Singapore Sling, but stronger” said our server). The drinks are strong so take care not to guzzle like an elephant.
(ST)
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Heaven/Cliff
Jess Lee
Malaysian songstress Jess Lee is a power belter. The winner of the 2010 edition of the One Million Star singing competition has even been nicknamed Iron Lung Queen.
And the one-two opening of Cliff To The Heaven and Force To here pack quite a punch.
The piano-backed Cliff composed by Singapore’s Lee Shih Siong begins gently. But it soon has Jess Lee scaling heights and swooping down cliffs as passion gets pushed to the brink: “Don’t give me a cliff that’s like heaven/Don’t force me to jump down this bottomless pit of grief.”
The edgy music video has her singing with a transparent plastic bag around her head and features a couple in the throes of an illicit love.
You might feel a little emotionally wrung out after this.
100 Reasons To Fly
Mr.
In 2010, Hong Kong band Mr. included the Mandarin track If I Were Eason Chan on their remix Cantonese album Like Black.
Four years later, the quintet finally release their Mandarin full-length debut album with 100 Reasons To Fly.
The reason for the earlier track was that lead singer Alan Po sounds uncannily like Chan. Over the course of an entire album though, the voices seem less alike. Certainly, Po has a richly expressive and resonant voice, if one that is a shade less layered than Chan’s.
There is an insouciance to the title track that lifts the spirits: “I want to fly, no grouses/One thought and I move, without saying a word, just go when I want to go.”
Elsewhere, the band make a pitch for Love And Peace, offer an unseasonal Merry Christmas To You :) and end on the anthemic rock of Wake Up.
It is as though in eight tracks, the band want to show just what they are capable of and end up flying all over the map.
(ST)
Jess Lee
Malaysian songstress Jess Lee is a power belter. The winner of the 2010 edition of the One Million Star singing competition has even been nicknamed Iron Lung Queen.
And the one-two opening of Cliff To The Heaven and Force To here pack quite a punch.
The piano-backed Cliff composed by Singapore’s Lee Shih Siong begins gently. But it soon has Jess Lee scaling heights and swooping down cliffs as passion gets pushed to the brink: “Don’t give me a cliff that’s like heaven/Don’t force me to jump down this bottomless pit of grief.”
The edgy music video has her singing with a transparent plastic bag around her head and features a couple in the throes of an illicit love.
You might feel a little emotionally wrung out after this.
100 Reasons To Fly
Mr.
In 2010, Hong Kong band Mr. included the Mandarin track If I Were Eason Chan on their remix Cantonese album Like Black.
Four years later, the quintet finally release their Mandarin full-length debut album with 100 Reasons To Fly.
The reason for the earlier track was that lead singer Alan Po sounds uncannily like Chan. Over the course of an entire album though, the voices seem less alike. Certainly, Po has a richly expressive and resonant voice, if one that is a shade less layered than Chan’s.
There is an insouciance to the title track that lifts the spirits: “I want to fly, no grouses/One thought and I move, without saying a word, just go when I want to go.”
Elsewhere, the band make a pitch for Love And Peace, offer an unseasonal Merry Christmas To You :) and end on the anthemic rock of Wake Up.
It is as though in eight tracks, the band want to show just what they are capable of and end up flying all over the map.
(ST)
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Words And Pictures
Fred Schepisi
The story: Jack Marcus (Clive Owen) was once a promising writer. Now, he teaches English in a high school, causes trouble with his penchant for drink and is distant from his grown son. Dina Delsanto (Juliette Binoche) is an artist struggling to create as rheumatoid arthritis robs her body of ease of mobility. She arrives at the school to teach art and a battle erupts between them over whether words or pictures are more important.
If the movie had only one star attached, it would have been a more conventional teacher-inspiring- students flick along the lines of films such as Dangerous Minds (1995).
But with Oscar-nominated Clive Owen (Closer, 2004) and Oscar-winner Juliette Binoche (The English Patient, 1996) in the picture, the film ends up taking a disappointing turn into romantic- comedy territory.
It starts off on familiar ground.
Jack is trying to get his students fired up about literature and his own passion for the written word comes through in his classes.
One of them calls him “captain”, a reference to poet Walt Whitman’s O Captain! My Captain! and famously used in the film Dead Poets Society (1989) to laud a beloved teacher. His personal life, though, is in shambles and you know that because he sports a scruffy beard.
The arc for Dina is similar. She, too, is trying to inspire her charges as she demands work that touches both the head and the heart. And she is also dealing with personal frustrations.
When Dina calls words “lies” and “traps”, Jack is outraged and battlelines are drawn. The words- versus-pictures clash that erupts mostly feels like an exercise for high school as the two trade jibes and eventually square off in a public debate.
It has been said that the medium is the message. In this case, the medium also has the final word on the words-versus-picture debate.
After all, what is film but an amalgamation of words and pictures?
Still, there is some pleasure to be had watching Owen and Binoche bicker, and enjoying the bickering. With a nickname like “Icicle”, you know that Dina is going to be melted by Jack.
While they are fun as an adversarial pair, the inevitable romancing does not quite work. To its credit, the film tries to be honest and Dina gives a touching reason for succumbing.
But while Owen and Binoche are fine actors, they are simply not believable as a romantic item. This is a pairing that is more chalk and cheese than words and pictures.
(ST)
Fred Schepisi
The story: Jack Marcus (Clive Owen) was once a promising writer. Now, he teaches English in a high school, causes trouble with his penchant for drink and is distant from his grown son. Dina Delsanto (Juliette Binoche) is an artist struggling to create as rheumatoid arthritis robs her body of ease of mobility. She arrives at the school to teach art and a battle erupts between them over whether words or pictures are more important.
If the movie had only one star attached, it would have been a more conventional teacher-inspiring- students flick along the lines of films such as Dangerous Minds (1995).
But with Oscar-nominated Clive Owen (Closer, 2004) and Oscar-winner Juliette Binoche (The English Patient, 1996) in the picture, the film ends up taking a disappointing turn into romantic- comedy territory.
It starts off on familiar ground.
Jack is trying to get his students fired up about literature and his own passion for the written word comes through in his classes.
One of them calls him “captain”, a reference to poet Walt Whitman’s O Captain! My Captain! and famously used in the film Dead Poets Society (1989) to laud a beloved teacher. His personal life, though, is in shambles and you know that because he sports a scruffy beard.
The arc for Dina is similar. She, too, is trying to inspire her charges as she demands work that touches both the head and the heart. And she is also dealing with personal frustrations.
When Dina calls words “lies” and “traps”, Jack is outraged and battlelines are drawn. The words- versus-pictures clash that erupts mostly feels like an exercise for high school as the two trade jibes and eventually square off in a public debate.
It has been said that the medium is the message. In this case, the medium also has the final word on the words-versus-picture debate.
After all, what is film but an amalgamation of words and pictures?
Still, there is some pleasure to be had watching Owen and Binoche bicker, and enjoying the bickering. With a nickname like “Icicle”, you know that Dina is going to be melted by Jack.
While they are fun as an adversarial pair, the inevitable romancing does not quite work. To its credit, the film tries to be honest and Dina gives a touching reason for succumbing.
But while Owen and Binoche are fine actors, they are simply not believable as a romantic item. This is a pairing that is more chalk and cheese than words and pictures.
(ST)
Thursday, June 05, 2014
Model
Li Ronghao
Classic
Li Jian
Thanks to the upcoming Golden Melody Awards, two China singer-songwriters have been catapulted into the spotlight.
Both Li Ronghao’s Model and Li Jian’s Classic have chalked up five nominations apiece. And they will square off in the categories for Best Mandarin Album and Best Album Producer.
Model marks Li Ronghao’s debut as a singer but he had previously composed and produced for the likes of Rainie Yang, Jeff Chang and Chen Kun.
He has a lightly husky baritone voice which lights up the understated, mid- tempo material, letting the lyrics and music speak for themselves.
On the breezy opener Li Bai, he professes that he wants to be the famed Tang Dynasty poet, though not necessarily for the reason you might think.
“If I could start over, I would choose to be Li Bai/The rights and wrongs a few hundred years ago, there would be fewer people to guess”.
He then breathes life into the lovely title track, nominated for Best Lyricist for Hong Kong’s Chow Yiu Fai with its striking imagery.
“Like a playful kitten sleeping for tomorrow’s curiosity/These chaotic times, this transparent jail, and feel/Can’t continue to be the model in the window”.
Other highlights here include Too Frank, a light-footed number about getting hurt, and Actor And Singer, a poignant duet with actor-singer Chen Kun.
Li Jian’s pure, pristine voice harks back to someone like Fei Yu-ching and is a very different instrument compared to Li Ronghao’s.
Li Jian, formerly one-half of the duo Water & Wood, was possibly best known outside of China for writing Legend, covered by Faye Wong in 2010.
Backed by a 40-piece orchestra which includes the piano and harp, there are moments of exquisite beauty on Classic.
When he soars into his wonderfully tender higher range, only a heart of stone would remain unmoved.
He sings plaintively on Far From Home: “Many times, tears are about to fall/That window is the reason for my strength/That little door still bears her tenderness/Giving warmth to accompany me”.
Fifteen lush tracks can be a bit too much to take in in one sitting though, and Classic is best savoured in smaller doses.
Li Jian and Li Ronghao offer different styles in different voices, but one thing unites the two: Both are class acts.
(ST)
Li Ronghao
Classic
Li Jian
Thanks to the upcoming Golden Melody Awards, two China singer-songwriters have been catapulted into the spotlight.
Both Li Ronghao’s Model and Li Jian’s Classic have chalked up five nominations apiece. And they will square off in the categories for Best Mandarin Album and Best Album Producer.
Model marks Li Ronghao’s debut as a singer but he had previously composed and produced for the likes of Rainie Yang, Jeff Chang and Chen Kun.
He has a lightly husky baritone voice which lights up the understated, mid- tempo material, letting the lyrics and music speak for themselves.
On the breezy opener Li Bai, he professes that he wants to be the famed Tang Dynasty poet, though not necessarily for the reason you might think.
“If I could start over, I would choose to be Li Bai/The rights and wrongs a few hundred years ago, there would be fewer people to guess”.
He then breathes life into the lovely title track, nominated for Best Lyricist for Hong Kong’s Chow Yiu Fai with its striking imagery.
“Like a playful kitten sleeping for tomorrow’s curiosity/These chaotic times, this transparent jail, and feel/Can’t continue to be the model in the window”.
Other highlights here include Too Frank, a light-footed number about getting hurt, and Actor And Singer, a poignant duet with actor-singer Chen Kun.
Li Jian’s pure, pristine voice harks back to someone like Fei Yu-ching and is a very different instrument compared to Li Ronghao’s.
Li Jian, formerly one-half of the duo Water & Wood, was possibly best known outside of China for writing Legend, covered by Faye Wong in 2010.
Backed by a 40-piece orchestra which includes the piano and harp, there are moments of exquisite beauty on Classic.
When he soars into his wonderfully tender higher range, only a heart of stone would remain unmoved.
He sings plaintively on Far From Home: “Many times, tears are about to fall/That window is the reason for my strength/That little door still bears her tenderness/Giving warmth to accompany me”.
Fifteen lush tracks can be a bit too much to take in in one sitting though, and Classic is best savoured in smaller doses.
Li Jian and Li Ronghao offer different styles in different voices, but one thing unites the two: Both are class acts.
(ST)
Wednesday, June 04, 2014
In The Blood
John Stockwell
The story: While honeymooning in the Caribbean, Derek (Cam Gigandet) has an accident on the zipline and is taken away in an ambulance. When he vanishes, his wife Ava (Gina Carano) has to figure out who took him and why. As the clock ticks, she has to battle uncooperative cops and vicious thugs in order to uncover the truth.
This is all of your nightmares about off-the-grid travel handily put together in one package.
Planning to head off somewhere without a guide? Just hoping to roll with it even though you do not understand the local patois? Going to make friends with the first person who speaks English to you? In The Blood will make you rethink your travel plans.
Ava does not speak Spanish and when trouble strikes, she finds herself in the frustrating situation of not being able to communicate the simplest things. Worse, the natives do not seem too friendly. When she is not being dismissed, she is being patronised.
And when she turns to the authorities, the cop in charge (Luis Guzman from Boogie Nights, 1997) is suspiciously disinterested.
Pushed to the brink, she finally goes it alone, extracting information from reluctant conspirators with her persuasive skill of unleashing violence.
This is where the film should kick into high gear, since it is a vehicle for mixed martial arts fighter Carano. She had previously starred in flicks such as Fast & Furious 6 (2013) and Haywire (2011).
But the fight scenes are a letdown as they do not convey the thrill of close-quarter combat. Despite this, the movie manages to be violent as well, particularly when Ava starts torturing people for information.
There are also time-wasting flashback scenes explaining how she came to possess her fighting skills and a red herring detour into a dark past which never surfaces in the present.
As the story gets more preposterous, what it sorely needs is some humour. But director John Stockwell (Blue Crush, 2002) takes it all so seriously.
After an over-long manhunt sequence at the end, scary-looking Danny Trejo (Machete Kills, 2013) unexpectedly steps in to save the day – for the sake of tourism of the island.
Now that was a sublimely ridiculous moment. Too bad In The Blood was not drenched in them.
(ST)
John Stockwell
The story: While honeymooning in the Caribbean, Derek (Cam Gigandet) has an accident on the zipline and is taken away in an ambulance. When he vanishes, his wife Ava (Gina Carano) has to figure out who took him and why. As the clock ticks, she has to battle uncooperative cops and vicious thugs in order to uncover the truth.
This is all of your nightmares about off-the-grid travel handily put together in one package.
Planning to head off somewhere without a guide? Just hoping to roll with it even though you do not understand the local patois? Going to make friends with the first person who speaks English to you? In The Blood will make you rethink your travel plans.
Ava does not speak Spanish and when trouble strikes, she finds herself in the frustrating situation of not being able to communicate the simplest things. Worse, the natives do not seem too friendly. When she is not being dismissed, she is being patronised.
And when she turns to the authorities, the cop in charge (Luis Guzman from Boogie Nights, 1997) is suspiciously disinterested.
Pushed to the brink, she finally goes it alone, extracting information from reluctant conspirators with her persuasive skill of unleashing violence.
This is where the film should kick into high gear, since it is a vehicle for mixed martial arts fighter Carano. She had previously starred in flicks such as Fast & Furious 6 (2013) and Haywire (2011).
But the fight scenes are a letdown as they do not convey the thrill of close-quarter combat. Despite this, the movie manages to be violent as well, particularly when Ava starts torturing people for information.
There are also time-wasting flashback scenes explaining how she came to possess her fighting skills and a red herring detour into a dark past which never surfaces in the present.
As the story gets more preposterous, what it sorely needs is some humour. But director John Stockwell (Blue Crush, 2002) takes it all so seriously.
After an over-long manhunt sequence at the end, scary-looking Danny Trejo (Machete Kills, 2013) unexpectedly steps in to save the day – for the sake of tourism of the island.
Now that was a sublimely ridiculous moment. Too bad In The Blood was not drenched in them.
(ST)
3D Naked Ambition
Lee Kung Lok
The story: Wayman (Chapman To) turns into an overnight sensation when he steps in for a porn shoot in Japan. His unlikely rise to the top occurs because he gets dominated by the actress, upending traditional gender roles. Cuzuki Hatoyama (Josie Ho) becomes his agent, gives him the stage name Mario Ozawa and a star is born. Eventually, another Hong Kong adult actor Nagasaki Naoki (Louis Koo) comes along to challenge his reign.
Naked Ambition is a sex comedy with some smarts.
It reverses traditional gender roles in pornography and subverts the idea of the male gaze. It is women who are turned on as Wayman, later Mario, is thrust into the more passive role and ultimately ends up succumbing to feminine desire.
An early lesson he learns: Say no three times and then give in once.
Feminists and sex studies majors would have a field day here.
The progressive message though is soon shoved aside by breasts, and plenty of it. To (Vulgaria, 2012) works with six famous Japanese AV (adult video) actresses and, in this case, “work with” means “has sex scene with”.
Someone certainly enjoyed himself making Naked Ambition.
In one funny send-up, Mario is a timid salaryman who is hunted by a lusty and aggressive woman. His fate is sealed when he enters a ladies-only train carriage by mistake and he ends up getting boob-smacked by his L-cup pursuer.
And as he gamely grimaces and feigns reluctance in the sex scenes, To will have you laughing along.
Another funny highlight is when Mario, in a parody of a gongfu movie cliche, goes off to master a technique. The reclusive teacher proclaims memorably after making a move: “That fly just died from an orgasm given by my fingers.”
But as far as smutty comedies go, Naked Ambition is not quite in the same league as, say, Pang Ho Cheung’s witty and heartfelt A.V. (2005) or even Matt Chow’s irrepressible Golden Chickensss (2014). Ho’s Cuzuki is meant to be a sympathetic character but she does not make as much of an impact as Chickensss’ Kam.
The suave-looking Koo offers some giggles here as a porn actor on the rise, but the rivalry between him and Mario gets dragged out too long and the film starts to sag.
After all, it is not the length that matters.
(ST)
Lee Kung Lok
The story: Wayman (Chapman To) turns into an overnight sensation when he steps in for a porn shoot in Japan. His unlikely rise to the top occurs because he gets dominated by the actress, upending traditional gender roles. Cuzuki Hatoyama (Josie Ho) becomes his agent, gives him the stage name Mario Ozawa and a star is born. Eventually, another Hong Kong adult actor Nagasaki Naoki (Louis Koo) comes along to challenge his reign.
Naked Ambition is a sex comedy with some smarts.
It reverses traditional gender roles in pornography and subverts the idea of the male gaze. It is women who are turned on as Wayman, later Mario, is thrust into the more passive role and ultimately ends up succumbing to feminine desire.
An early lesson he learns: Say no three times and then give in once.
Feminists and sex studies majors would have a field day here.
The progressive message though is soon shoved aside by breasts, and plenty of it. To (Vulgaria, 2012) works with six famous Japanese AV (adult video) actresses and, in this case, “work with” means “has sex scene with”.
Someone certainly enjoyed himself making Naked Ambition.
In one funny send-up, Mario is a timid salaryman who is hunted by a lusty and aggressive woman. His fate is sealed when he enters a ladies-only train carriage by mistake and he ends up getting boob-smacked by his L-cup pursuer.
And as he gamely grimaces and feigns reluctance in the sex scenes, To will have you laughing along.
Another funny highlight is when Mario, in a parody of a gongfu movie cliche, goes off to master a technique. The reclusive teacher proclaims memorably after making a move: “That fly just died from an orgasm given by my fingers.”
But as far as smutty comedies go, Naked Ambition is not quite in the same league as, say, Pang Ho Cheung’s witty and heartfelt A.V. (2005) or even Matt Chow’s irrepressible Golden Chickensss (2014). Ho’s Cuzuki is meant to be a sympathetic character but she does not make as much of an impact as Chickensss’ Kam.
The suave-looking Koo offers some giggles here as a porn actor on the rise, but the rivalry between him and Mario gets dragged out too long and the film starts to sag.
After all, it is not the length that matters.
(ST)
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