Wallace Ang
Wallace Ang
On his second album, which comes seven years after his debut album, Roles (2008), Love 97.2FM DJ Wallace Ang shows he has a decent set of pipes for singing and, on a few tracks, some potential as a songwriter .
Opening number Suspended Happiness builds drama with a melody that has him shooting for the high notes: “Happiness that’s suspended/ Can’t embrace it, can’t shake it off”.
The lazy, jazzy vibe of Inconsolable strikes a refreshingly different note. However, it seems that the first half has been packed with stronger material.
As the proceedings take a dip with run-of-the-mill love ballads Good For Both Of Us and The You Before My Eyes, the record ends up feeling top-heavy.
(ST)
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Bad Guys Always Die
Sun Hao
The story: Qiangzi (Chen Bo-lin) is teaching Chinese in Busan, South Korea. A leisurely road trip on Jeju Island with his younger brother Papa (Yang Xuwen) and good friends San’er (Qiao Zhenyu) and Datou (Ding Wenbo) quickly spirals out of control when they help a woman (Son Ye Jin) injured in a car accident. There is murder and mayhem as a contract killer comes after her.
Taiwan’s Chen Bo-lin has been a very busy man after the success of his 2011 hit television romantic drama In Time With You.
He has several key movie releases this year, including the Anthony Chen-produced anthology Distance, which premiered at the recent Golden Horse Film Festival, and the romantic comedy Go Lala Go 2!, which is slated to open here on Dec 3.
In this intriguing South Korea- China co-production mixing comedy, suspense and violent action, Chen Bo-lin is well-cast as Qiangzi, who gets into scuffles, but is essentially a good guy in a dark thriller filled with physical humour.
Even as mystery shrouds Korean actress Son Ye Jin’s femme fatale (Who is she? What is she after?), there seems to be a different movie running alongside it.
When San’er and Datou, despite being strangers in a strange land, try to save Qiangzi and Papa who are taken hostage, the story plays more like a bumbling comedy that could well be titled Lost In Jeju.
To director and co-writer Sun Hao’s credit, he manages to transition effectively from one strong thread to the other as the paths of characters criss-cross but, tantalisingly, never meet. The ending is packed with gunfire and plot twists.
While the bullets eventually find their target, some of the revelations fall short of being convincing.
(ST)
Sun Hao
The story: Qiangzi (Chen Bo-lin) is teaching Chinese in Busan, South Korea. A leisurely road trip on Jeju Island with his younger brother Papa (Yang Xuwen) and good friends San’er (Qiao Zhenyu) and Datou (Ding Wenbo) quickly spirals out of control when they help a woman (Son Ye Jin) injured in a car accident. There is murder and mayhem as a contract killer comes after her.
Taiwan’s Chen Bo-lin has been a very busy man after the success of his 2011 hit television romantic drama In Time With You.
He has several key movie releases this year, including the Anthony Chen-produced anthology Distance, which premiered at the recent Golden Horse Film Festival, and the romantic comedy Go Lala Go 2!, which is slated to open here on Dec 3.
In this intriguing South Korea- China co-production mixing comedy, suspense and violent action, Chen Bo-lin is well-cast as Qiangzi, who gets into scuffles, but is essentially a good guy in a dark thriller filled with physical humour.
Even as mystery shrouds Korean actress Son Ye Jin’s femme fatale (Who is she? What is she after?), there seems to be a different movie running alongside it.
When San’er and Datou, despite being strangers in a strange land, try to save Qiangzi and Papa who are taken hostage, the story plays more like a bumbling comedy that could well be titled Lost In Jeju.
To director and co-writer Sun Hao’s credit, he manages to transition effectively from one strong thread to the other as the paths of characters criss-cross but, tantalisingly, never meet. The ending is packed with gunfire and plot twists.
While the bullets eventually find their target, some of the revelations fall short of being convincing.
(ST)
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Aphasia
Tanya Chua
The term aphasia refers to a speech disorder caused by damage to the brain.
In feted singer-songwriter Tanya Chua’s new Mandarin album, it is a metaphor for the difficulty of communication, of saying what we truly feel. On the title track, she laments: “Turn what we wish to say into babble, each and every one suffering from aphasia”.
She has always dealt with the subject of modern, urban relationships in her records from lonely- in-the-city Stranger (2003) to the emotional extremes of Angel Vs Devil (2013).
On her milestone 10th Mandarin album, there is a darker edge to the subject. The album opens with the throbbing electronica of Strange Species – complete with artfully seductive music video – a clear signal that Chua is venturing in a very different direction. Song titles such as Best Way To Die, Peep Show and Cat And Mouse suggest that this is a city with seedy edges, one in which desire and danger lurk.
She sings mesmerisingly on Strange Species: “We belong to the same class of organism/Use skin to mask our true faces/Not clear who you are but the chemistry is unmistakable”.
Her fruitful partnership with lyricist Xiaohan has previously yielded hits with striking imagery including Darwin I, Projectile and Amphibian. This time, Xiaohan is single-handedly responsible for all the lyrics to Chua’s music.
They continue to complement each other well from the louche vibe of Peep Show (“Come put on what you’re good at, a real-life peep show”) to the playful and teasing Cat And Mouse (“Want to come home with me, if you can catch up with me”).
Ten albums in and Chua is taking chances instead of coasting along. Hearteningly, she still has plenty to say.
(ST)
Tanya Chua
The term aphasia refers to a speech disorder caused by damage to the brain.
In feted singer-songwriter Tanya Chua’s new Mandarin album, it is a metaphor for the difficulty of communication, of saying what we truly feel. On the title track, she laments: “Turn what we wish to say into babble, each and every one suffering from aphasia”.
She has always dealt with the subject of modern, urban relationships in her records from lonely- in-the-city Stranger (2003) to the emotional extremes of Angel Vs Devil (2013).
On her milestone 10th Mandarin album, there is a darker edge to the subject. The album opens with the throbbing electronica of Strange Species – complete with artfully seductive music video – a clear signal that Chua is venturing in a very different direction. Song titles such as Best Way To Die, Peep Show and Cat And Mouse suggest that this is a city with seedy edges, one in which desire and danger lurk.
She sings mesmerisingly on Strange Species: “We belong to the same class of organism/Use skin to mask our true faces/Not clear who you are but the chemistry is unmistakable”.
Her fruitful partnership with lyricist Xiaohan has previously yielded hits with striking imagery including Darwin I, Projectile and Amphibian. This time, Xiaohan is single-handedly responsible for all the lyrics to Chua’s music.
They continue to complement each other well from the louche vibe of Peep Show (“Come put on what you’re good at, a real-life peep show”) to the playful and teasing Cat And Mouse (“Want to come home with me, if you can catch up with me”).
Ten albums in and Chua is taking chances instead of coasting along. Hearteningly, she still has plenty to say.
(ST)
Bakuman
Hitoshi One
The story: Moritaka Mashiro (Takeru Satoh) can draw. Akito Takagi (Ryunosuke Kamiki) is good at writing stories. So the two high school students team up to work on an original manga. Their aim is to land a series in venerable compilation Shonen Jump Weekly, which is already featuring the work of genius high school student Eiji Niizuma (Shota Sometani). Based on the manga of the same name by writer Tsugumi Ohba and illustrator Takeshi Obata.
For an aspiring manga artist, walking through the hallowed hallways of Shonen Jump Weekly’s offices is like a musician stepping into the legendary Abbey Road Studios. It is a big deal.
Landing a weekly series is an even bigger deal, especially for a couple of high school students with no experience whatsoever. While it is not too much of a surprise as to whether their dream comes true, you still find yourself rooting for the boys as, ink-stained and sleep-starved, they have to overcome one hurdle after another.
A manga about manga has an added frisson of meta-ness about it, but it still works as a film adaptation.
In a memorably executed sequence, Mashiro and Takagi face off against their rival Niizuma against a backdrop of swirling comic book panels as they wield various writing implements as their weapons of choice.
For fans of the genre, there is also the fun of getting a glimpse into the world of manga with its cut-throat popularity rankings and the different motivations – from fame to fear – driving the writers.
Paying homage to Shonen Jump Weekly’s time-honoured themes of friendship, struggle and triumph, director Hitoshi One (Moteki, 2011) does a good job exploring how youthful passion trumps adversity in the movie.
Satoh and Kamiki – who are in their 20s and had acted together in the period action Rurouni Kenshin films from 2012 to last year – can still pull off being high school students, convincing in their portrayal of the agony and ecstasy of being artists.
(ST)
Hitoshi One
The story: Moritaka Mashiro (Takeru Satoh) can draw. Akito Takagi (Ryunosuke Kamiki) is good at writing stories. So the two high school students team up to work on an original manga. Their aim is to land a series in venerable compilation Shonen Jump Weekly, which is already featuring the work of genius high school student Eiji Niizuma (Shota Sometani). Based on the manga of the same name by writer Tsugumi Ohba and illustrator Takeshi Obata.
For an aspiring manga artist, walking through the hallowed hallways of Shonen Jump Weekly’s offices is like a musician stepping into the legendary Abbey Road Studios. It is a big deal.
Landing a weekly series is an even bigger deal, especially for a couple of high school students with no experience whatsoever. While it is not too much of a surprise as to whether their dream comes true, you still find yourself rooting for the boys as, ink-stained and sleep-starved, they have to overcome one hurdle after another.
A manga about manga has an added frisson of meta-ness about it, but it still works as a film adaptation.
In a memorably executed sequence, Mashiro and Takagi face off against their rival Niizuma against a backdrop of swirling comic book panels as they wield various writing implements as their weapons of choice.
For fans of the genre, there is also the fun of getting a glimpse into the world of manga with its cut-throat popularity rankings and the different motivations – from fame to fear – driving the writers.
Paying homage to Shonen Jump Weekly’s time-honoured themes of friendship, struggle and triumph, director Hitoshi One (Moteki, 2011) does a good job exploring how youthful passion trumps adversity in the movie.
Satoh and Kamiki – who are in their 20s and had acted together in the period action Rurouni Kenshin films from 2012 to last year – can still pull off being high school students, convincing in their portrayal of the agony and ecstasy of being artists.
(ST)
Thursday, November 12, 2015
S.H.E. | Aaron Yan Forever Stars 2015 Singapore
Singapore Indoor Stadium
Tuesday
Taiwanese idol singer Aaron Yan’s equal concert billing with girl group S.H.E. was of little consequence to the fans – there was no question whom they had come to see.
It did not help that the vermillion suit Yan wore was the most memorable thing about his segment. That, and the backing vocalist who outshone him on the English duet Don’t You Wanna Stay.
Yan was floundering all the way through his 45-minute segment as he had problems with pitching and hitting the high notes.
Tellingly, the biggest response from the audience came when he announced his last song, Unstoppable Sun. The title of a ballad he performed earlier, Duo Yu De Wo (Unnecessary Me), turned out to be uncomfortably close to the truth.
The 21/2-hour show took off the moment Selina Jen, Hebe Tien and Ella Chen came onstage with the stomper Super Star.
Unlike their 2gether 4ever concert here in October 2013, this was not a full-fledged affair. Instead, it was a no-frills gig without even a change of costumes: Jen was in a bright and colourful ensemble, Chen a sassy short outfit and Tien wore a graceful long skirt.
But their show was packed with hits picked from their debut album Girl’s Dorm (2001) all the way to their last release, Blossomy (2012), and that was enough for the fans.
In recent years, the women have ventured in different directions with their own projects.
Chen is starring in a play in Taipei while Jen is hosting a show about food and health. All three have also released full-length albums on their own, with Tien enjoying the most success as a solo artist. She is working on her fourth album and will be holding her solo show in Singapore on March 5.
Urged by her group mates, Tien gave a sneak preview of the upcoming gig by singing the chorus of her latest hit, A Little Happiness, the theme song for the box-office champ, Our Times (2015).
Given their various commitments, it is clear they relish the opportunity to share the stage as a trio. They were comfortable and relaxed and their chemistry came through in their good-natured ribbing and bantering.
When Chen attempts to make some point by saying that they all sleep in separate beds, Tien quips: “Of course we do. If not, I would be sleeping with your hubby.”
There was also a moment of surprise when singer-songwriter Yoga Lin was announced as a guest star. It turned out to be Chen doing an exaggerated imitation of his nasal style of singing.
Many of the 7,500 fans had grown up with the trio’s songs and they sang along fervently, even to the lesser-known numbers.
Impressed and touched, the group thanked the crowd for letting them be a part of their youth. Jen made a plea for S.H.E. to be part of their middle age and old age as well.
They want to be your stars forever.
(ST)
Singapore Indoor Stadium
Tuesday
Taiwanese idol singer Aaron Yan’s equal concert billing with girl group S.H.E. was of little consequence to the fans – there was no question whom they had come to see.
It did not help that the vermillion suit Yan wore was the most memorable thing about his segment. That, and the backing vocalist who outshone him on the English duet Don’t You Wanna Stay.
Yan was floundering all the way through his 45-minute segment as he had problems with pitching and hitting the high notes.
Tellingly, the biggest response from the audience came when he announced his last song, Unstoppable Sun. The title of a ballad he performed earlier, Duo Yu De Wo (Unnecessary Me), turned out to be uncomfortably close to the truth.
The 21/2-hour show took off the moment Selina Jen, Hebe Tien and Ella Chen came onstage with the stomper Super Star.
Unlike their 2gether 4ever concert here in October 2013, this was not a full-fledged affair. Instead, it was a no-frills gig without even a change of costumes: Jen was in a bright and colourful ensemble, Chen a sassy short outfit and Tien wore a graceful long skirt.
But their show was packed with hits picked from their debut album Girl’s Dorm (2001) all the way to their last release, Blossomy (2012), and that was enough for the fans.
In recent years, the women have ventured in different directions with their own projects.
Chen is starring in a play in Taipei while Jen is hosting a show about food and health. All three have also released full-length albums on their own, with Tien enjoying the most success as a solo artist. She is working on her fourth album and will be holding her solo show in Singapore on March 5.
Urged by her group mates, Tien gave a sneak preview of the upcoming gig by singing the chorus of her latest hit, A Little Happiness, the theme song for the box-office champ, Our Times (2015).
Given their various commitments, it is clear they relish the opportunity to share the stage as a trio. They were comfortable and relaxed and their chemistry came through in their good-natured ribbing and bantering.
When Chen attempts to make some point by saying that they all sleep in separate beds, Tien quips: “Of course we do. If not, I would be sleeping with your hubby.”
There was also a moment of surprise when singer-songwriter Yoga Lin was announced as a guest star. It turned out to be Chen doing an exaggerated imitation of his nasal style of singing.
Many of the 7,500 fans had grown up with the trio’s songs and they sang along fervently, even to the lesser-known numbers.
Impressed and touched, the group thanked the crowd for letting them be a part of their youth. Jen made a plea for S.H.E. to be part of their middle age and old age as well.
They want to be your stars forever.
(ST)
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Scouts Guide To The Zombie Apocalypse
Christopher B. Landon
The story: High school sophomores Ben (Tye Sheridan) and Carter (Logan Miller) feel that they have outgrown the scouts, but stay on with the troop for the sake of their friend, Augie (Joey Morgan). When a zombie outbreak occurs, the boys put their scouting skills to good use.
In an attempt to make his work stand out in a sea of zombie shows on TV and at the movies, director and co-writer Christopher B. Landon (Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, 2014) mashes up the zombie genre with sex comedy.
But the result is a patchy film.
The characters are paper-thin cut-outs with barely more personality than the zombies who have suddenly overrun the town.
Ben is the decent guy trying to do the right thing, Carter is desperately trying to lose his virginity and Augie is the loser fat kid.
At least there is a female character helping to save the day, but it is a case of taking one step forward, two steps back – actress Sarah Dumont is squeezed into a tight tank top and tiny denim shorts as strip-club waitress Denise.
The humour here spans the gamut from sophomoric to gross-out, including scenes of Ben grabbing onto a zombie’s remarkably stretchy penis and a high school girl unwittingly making out with an undead suitor.
Buried beneath all this is a potentially moving story about childhood friendships that might not survive the teenage years.
Yet, Scouts Guide To The Zombie Apocalypse is no Stand By Me (1986).
Comedy fans might enjoy the turns from David Koechner from The Office (2005-2013) as a toupeed scoutmaster and Blake Anderson (Workaholics, 2011-present) as a luckless janitor.
For everyone else, the mash-up fails to breathe new life into the zombie genre.
(ST)
Christopher B. Landon
The story: High school sophomores Ben (Tye Sheridan) and Carter (Logan Miller) feel that they have outgrown the scouts, but stay on with the troop for the sake of their friend, Augie (Joey Morgan). When a zombie outbreak occurs, the boys put their scouting skills to good use.
In an attempt to make his work stand out in a sea of zombie shows on TV and at the movies, director and co-writer Christopher B. Landon (Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, 2014) mashes up the zombie genre with sex comedy.
But the result is a patchy film.
The characters are paper-thin cut-outs with barely more personality than the zombies who have suddenly overrun the town.
Ben is the decent guy trying to do the right thing, Carter is desperately trying to lose his virginity and Augie is the loser fat kid.
At least there is a female character helping to save the day, but it is a case of taking one step forward, two steps back – actress Sarah Dumont is squeezed into a tight tank top and tiny denim shorts as strip-club waitress Denise.
The humour here spans the gamut from sophomoric to gross-out, including scenes of Ben grabbing onto a zombie’s remarkably stretchy penis and a high school girl unwittingly making out with an undead suitor.
Buried beneath all this is a potentially moving story about childhood friendships that might not survive the teenage years.
Yet, Scouts Guide To The Zombie Apocalypse is no Stand By Me (1986).
Comedy fans might enjoy the turns from David Koechner from The Office (2005-2013) as a toupeed scoutmaster and Blake Anderson (Workaholics, 2011-present) as a luckless janitor.
For everyone else, the mash-up fails to breathe new life into the zombie genre.
(ST)
Wednesday, November 04, 2015
When Sorrow Being Downloaded Twice
Sandee Chan
Electronica has been Taiwanese singer-songwriter Sandee Chan’s playing field for a while now.
A Low-Key Life (2013) wrestled with fidelity and the limits of love, while I Love You, John (2011) served up playful electro-pop in which music itself is a theme.
As one-half of the duo 19 on the eponymous album (2011), she turned George Chen’s film scores and commercial work into accessible songs.
She continues to find ways to invigorate the genre. On this album, she works with 10 creatives for a colourful show of sparks.
On The Afternoon, her laidback melody and hypnotic arrangement are paired with acclaimed film-
maker Tsai Ming-liang’s spare lyrics about death and commitment: “What would you do if one day/I should leave ahead of you/Will you cry and hope/We’ll meet in the next life”.
Elsewhere, she collaborates with authors, a poet, a scriptwriter, a designer, a film critic and a food writer. The music is varied, by turns poignant, tender and quietly urgent as befitting the words.
Graphic designer Aaron Nieh paints a dark picture on Shut Up: “I have eaten up the night, finished the cigarettes” and later on, “The stars don’t shine, don’t compel”.
Meanwhile, food writer Craig Au Yeung is whimsical on Just An Egg: “Gently break me/Casually beat me/And then whisk me evenly with a burst of effort”.
Frustratingly, the title song is not part of the 10-track album.
It was available only as a pre-order limited-edition single bundled with the record.
Track down the elegantly atmospheric number on platforms such as iTunes and Spotify and check out the music video with its fascinating DIY scrapbook aesthetic.
There is a case for not including the track.
First, it is a duet, which none of the other songs is.
Second, the album is a marriage of her music with others’ lyrics, whereas Sorrow is the reverse, melding Yoga Lin’s memorable melody with Chan’s morose musings.
As it stands, the album is thematically a cohesive whole and rewards careful listening.
(ST)
Sandee Chan
Electronica has been Taiwanese singer-songwriter Sandee Chan’s playing field for a while now.
A Low-Key Life (2013) wrestled with fidelity and the limits of love, while I Love You, John (2011) served up playful electro-pop in which music itself is a theme.
As one-half of the duo 19 on the eponymous album (2011), she turned George Chen’s film scores and commercial work into accessible songs.
She continues to find ways to invigorate the genre. On this album, she works with 10 creatives for a colourful show of sparks.
On The Afternoon, her laidback melody and hypnotic arrangement are paired with acclaimed film-
maker Tsai Ming-liang’s spare lyrics about death and commitment: “What would you do if one day/I should leave ahead of you/Will you cry and hope/We’ll meet in the next life”.
Elsewhere, she collaborates with authors, a poet, a scriptwriter, a designer, a film critic and a food writer. The music is varied, by turns poignant, tender and quietly urgent as befitting the words.
Graphic designer Aaron Nieh paints a dark picture on Shut Up: “I have eaten up the night, finished the cigarettes” and later on, “The stars don’t shine, don’t compel”.
Meanwhile, food writer Craig Au Yeung is whimsical on Just An Egg: “Gently break me/Casually beat me/And then whisk me evenly with a burst of effort”.
Frustratingly, the title song is not part of the 10-track album.
It was available only as a pre-order limited-edition single bundled with the record.
Track down the elegantly atmospheric number on platforms such as iTunes and Spotify and check out the music video with its fascinating DIY scrapbook aesthetic.
There is a case for not including the track.
First, it is a duet, which none of the other songs is.
Second, the album is a marriage of her music with others’ lyrics, whereas Sorrow is the reverse, melding Yoga Lin’s memorable melody with Chan’s morose musings.
As it stands, the album is thematically a cohesive whole and rewards careful listening.
(ST)
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