Railroad Tigers
Ding Sheng
The story: Ma Yuan (Jackie Chan) is the head of a group of railroad workers who regularly steals supplies from the Japanese military in east China in 1941. Tipped off by a Chinese soldier (Darren Wang), they get a shot at accomplishing something big – blow up a bridge to disrupt a key enemy supply route. Ma’s crew also includes noodle-seller/ sharpshooter Fan Chuan (Wang Kai) and tailor Dahai (former Exo member Huang Zitao).
Action star Jackie Chan and his son Jaycee provide some of the more amusing moments in this middling film.
Although Jaycee is missing from promotional material and even from online write-ups, he plays a member of Ma’s crew. Some have speculated that this is Chan’s way of giving his son a leg-up after the latter’s show-business freeze because of his marijuana-related jail stint.
Whatever the reason, father and son are pretty entertaining to watch.
In one scene, after being captured, they happily trade insults over each other’s looks instead of being worried – Jaycee even scores a big hit with a jibe at his father’s bulbous nose.
And during an attempt to steal explosives from a Japanese warehouse, they end up on two ends of a rope thrown over a metal beam – like two ends of a human pulley system – yo-yoing up and down as soldiers prowl the premises.
The key hook of the film – which reunites Chan with Ding Sheng, his director for crime thriller Police Story 2013 and period action flick Little Big Soldier (2010) – is how a motley crew with few resources go about destroying a bridge.
It has promise, but Ding takes too long to kick things into gear, burdened as it is with too much unnecessary cargo, from the superfluous framing device to the sprawling cast of characters.
Xu Fan is wasted in the role of a hawker who is sweet on Ma and Zhang Yishang barely registers as Ma’s daughter. At least Wang Kai (Nirvana In Fire, 2015) leaves an impression as the cool sharpshooter Fan.
The finale, which is predictable, needs better computer-generated imagery for the flick to end with a roar.
(ST)
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Run! Frantic Flowers!
Waa Wei
The first thing that grabs your attention is the unusual- looking title.
Interestingly enough, the Chinese phrase Mo Lu Kuang Hua is also the translation used for the American movie title Thelma & Louise (1991). That road movie about two women breaking free of their mundane lives turns out to be a signpost of sorts for Taiwanese singer-songwriter Waa Wei’s fifth album.
The title track is an electro-rock number on which Wei proclaims with a snarl: “The ordinary is my enemy.” Then, she coos in her higher register on the chorus: “I’m a more dangerous kind of flower/The elegance at the end of the road/The confidence of the lowly/Frantic flowers in the gale/Bloom wherever they land.”
And yes, her creativity is in full bloom here.
Her sly sense of humour emerges on the electro track Snow Girl as she laments: “The heat of passion that others want will kill me.” And she wistfully imagines on the gentle Little Fish: “If I were a mountain, you couldn’t come and go as you please.”
Wei dips into a variety of genres here from the gently jazzy Crooked to the breezy pop of I Will Be Fine to the guitar ballad You You.
On the last, she sings in Mandarin and Minnan and also scats to convey her tender state of being in love and pain.
On the album’s dreamy, perky synth-pop closer Monroe, she draws inspiration from the icon and bombshell Marilyn Monroe.
When it comes to music, Wei is no shrinking violet either.
(ST)
Waa Wei
The first thing that grabs your attention is the unusual- looking title.
Interestingly enough, the Chinese phrase Mo Lu Kuang Hua is also the translation used for the American movie title Thelma & Louise (1991). That road movie about two women breaking free of their mundane lives turns out to be a signpost of sorts for Taiwanese singer-songwriter Waa Wei’s fifth album.
The title track is an electro-rock number on which Wei proclaims with a snarl: “The ordinary is my enemy.” Then, she coos in her higher register on the chorus: “I’m a more dangerous kind of flower/The elegance at the end of the road/The confidence of the lowly/Frantic flowers in the gale/Bloom wherever they land.”
And yes, her creativity is in full bloom here.
Her sly sense of humour emerges on the electro track Snow Girl as she laments: “The heat of passion that others want will kill me.” And she wistfully imagines on the gentle Little Fish: “If I were a mountain, you couldn’t come and go as you please.”
Wei dips into a variety of genres here from the gently jazzy Crooked to the breezy pop of I Will Be Fine to the guitar ballad You You.
On the last, she sings in Mandarin and Minnan and also scats to convey her tender state of being in love and pain.
On the album’s dreamy, perky synth-pop closer Monroe, she draws inspiration from the icon and bombshell Marilyn Monroe.
When it comes to music, Wei is no shrinking violet either.
(ST)
Assassin's Creed
Justin Kurzel
The story: Sentenced to death by lethal injection, criminal Callum Lynch (Michael Fassbender) wakes up instead and finds himself in a facility run by scientist Sofia Rikkin (Marion Cotillard) and her father Alan (Jeremy Irons) of Abstergo Industries, the modern-day incarnation of the Templar Order. They are after the Apple of Eden, a powerful object last handled in 15th-century Spain by assassin Aguilar de Nerha (Fassbender) – whose memories can be accessed by Callum. Based on the video game franchise of the same name, in which the Assassins fight for peace with free will and the Templars want peace through control.
There is something interesting going on here.
The names for this project read like a dream combination for an indie arthouse flick.
Indeed, director Justin Kurzel had just worked with actors Fassbender and Cotillard on a well-received adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth (2015).
And then we have Oscar winner Irons, Emmy winner Brendan Gleeson and film festival favourite Charlotte Rampling.
But wait, this is a video game adaptation.
Despite an attempt to give this lightweight movie a heavyweight makeover, Assassin’s Creed ends up being a failed experiment.
It is both unnecessarily complicated and ridiculously simplified at the same time.
For all the powerful technology that Abstergo Industries has at its disposal, it is unable to fast forward to the exact moment when Aguilar last had possession of the Apple. Instead, the key moments of his life – which are now Callum’s memories – are helpfully converted into a technicolour film we can all watch.
It is also necessary for Callum to be strapped into a machine so that he can act out each gesture in his past life as he recalls it. Can the film be more literal?
Then there are the protracted speeches about the nature of free will and the relationship between genetics and the propensity for murder, which are not only tedious, but also mostly sound like hogwash.
What a waste of the killer line-up assembled.
(ST)
Justin Kurzel
The story: Sentenced to death by lethal injection, criminal Callum Lynch (Michael Fassbender) wakes up instead and finds himself in a facility run by scientist Sofia Rikkin (Marion Cotillard) and her father Alan (Jeremy Irons) of Abstergo Industries, the modern-day incarnation of the Templar Order. They are after the Apple of Eden, a powerful object last handled in 15th-century Spain by assassin Aguilar de Nerha (Fassbender) – whose memories can be accessed by Callum. Based on the video game franchise of the same name, in which the Assassins fight for peace with free will and the Templars want peace through control.
There is something interesting going on here.
The names for this project read like a dream combination for an indie arthouse flick.
Indeed, director Justin Kurzel had just worked with actors Fassbender and Cotillard on a well-received adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth (2015).
And then we have Oscar winner Irons, Emmy winner Brendan Gleeson and film festival favourite Charlotte Rampling.
But wait, this is a video game adaptation.
Despite an attempt to give this lightweight movie a heavyweight makeover, Assassin’s Creed ends up being a failed experiment.
It is both unnecessarily complicated and ridiculously simplified at the same time.
For all the powerful technology that Abstergo Industries has at its disposal, it is unable to fast forward to the exact moment when Aguilar last had possession of the Apple. Instead, the key moments of his life – which are now Callum’s memories – are helpfully converted into a technicolour film we can all watch.
It is also necessary for Callum to be strapped into a machine so that he can act out each gesture in his past life as he recalls it. Can the film be more literal?
Then there are the protracted speeches about the nature of free will and the relationship between genetics and the propensity for murder, which are not only tedious, but also mostly sound like hogwash.
What a waste of the killer line-up assembled.
(ST)
Sunday, December 18, 2016
Albums of 2016
BEST
Talk About Eve by Eve Ai
The Sum Of Us from the album, Talk About Eve (photo 16), is one of my favourite songs of the year. The ballad penned by Taiwanese singer-songwriter Eve Ai is quietly compelling and the lyrics poignantly sustain a metaphor about love and mathematics. There is a soulfulness to her singing that lifts even more conventional material such as Harmless Loneliness, turning it into another highlight here. This is an album that should get people talking about Ai.
The River by Wang Feng
Before he became better known as a singing contest judge and as actress Zhang Ziyi’s husband, Wang Feng was already making waves with his songs and his ninth album is a reminder of his musical prowess.
It is a record made by a man at the crossroads of middle age and taking stock of life. He is defiant on the stirring ballad, Fleeting Time, What Can You Do To Me, and unbowed on the title track. There is more than navel-gazing here and he turns a critical eye on society in Full, juxtaposing to pointed effect things which are overflowing with an aching hollowness elsewhere.
Progress Reports by Eli Hsieh
This is the year’s most compelling debut and Taiwan’s Eli Hsieh was a deserving Golden Melody Award winner for Best New Artist.
The disc is intimate and ambitious. Conceptually, it was inspired by American writer Daniel Keyes’ sci-fi short story, Flowers For Algernon, comprising progress reports by the protagonist as his low IQ is boosted via experimental surgery. At the same time, the singer-songwriter’s pellucid voice evokes an honest portrait of a young man’s emotional world. Life can be filled with uncertainty, but there are moments of grace on songs such as Roam.
WORST
Journey by Nicky Wu
Maybe there is a reason for the 19-year break between this album and his last, 1997’s Hero. The Taiwanese might have been the best-looking of the boy band trio, Little Tigers, but he was not their strongest singer. The opening synthesizer strains of Lonely By Nature sound dated and the title track, which harks back to one of his best-known solo hits, Wish You A Smooth Journey, also fails to get things moving.
(ST)
BEST
Talk About Eve by Eve Ai
The Sum Of Us from the album, Talk About Eve (photo 16), is one of my favourite songs of the year. The ballad penned by Taiwanese singer-songwriter Eve Ai is quietly compelling and the lyrics poignantly sustain a metaphor about love and mathematics. There is a soulfulness to her singing that lifts even more conventional material such as Harmless Loneliness, turning it into another highlight here. This is an album that should get people talking about Ai.
The River by Wang Feng
Before he became better known as a singing contest judge and as actress Zhang Ziyi’s husband, Wang Feng was already making waves with his songs and his ninth album is a reminder of his musical prowess.
It is a record made by a man at the crossroads of middle age and taking stock of life. He is defiant on the stirring ballad, Fleeting Time, What Can You Do To Me, and unbowed on the title track. There is more than navel-gazing here and he turns a critical eye on society in Full, juxtaposing to pointed effect things which are overflowing with an aching hollowness elsewhere.
Progress Reports by Eli Hsieh
This is the year’s most compelling debut and Taiwan’s Eli Hsieh was a deserving Golden Melody Award winner for Best New Artist.
The disc is intimate and ambitious. Conceptually, it was inspired by American writer Daniel Keyes’ sci-fi short story, Flowers For Algernon, comprising progress reports by the protagonist as his low IQ is boosted via experimental surgery. At the same time, the singer-songwriter’s pellucid voice evokes an honest portrait of a young man’s emotional world. Life can be filled with uncertainty, but there are moments of grace on songs such as Roam.
WORST
Journey by Nicky Wu
Maybe there is a reason for the 19-year break between this album and his last, 1997’s Hero. The Taiwanese might have been the best-looking of the boy band trio, Little Tigers, but he was not their strongest singer. The opening synthesizer strains of Lonely By Nature sound dated and the title track, which harks back to one of his best-known solo hits, Wish You A Smooth Journey, also fails to get things moving.
(ST)
Concerts of 2016
BEST
Stella Zhang Qing Fang Live In Singapore 2016, Singapore Indoor Stadium, Jan 30
It has been 20 years since Taiwan’s Stella Chang (photo 13) performed here and time has not dimmed her crystalline-clear vocals. Remarkably, her voice grew in strength and vibrance over the course of the show.
It also helps that she was never a cutesy teen idol and her love ballads have weathered the years well. The staging was elegant and classy and it all came together with a flourish for the finale.
Dressed in a vermillion gown and framed by a giant gazebo with a huge wall of flowers as a backdrop, she cut a striking figure as red confetti drifted down lazily.
Terry Lin Onetake Concert 2016 World Tour In Singapore, Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre, Aug 26
Taiwan’s Terry Lin might not have idol looks and he can be a little awkward on stage.
But none of that matters when he sings. There is a purity to his pipes that makes emotions ring bright and true, and he glides effortlessly over the high notes, even in falsetto.
Apart from performing his solo hits and songs from his Ukulele duo days, he took on several covers, managing to make even a hackneyed ballad such as Making Love Out Of Nothing At All feel fresh. And to think he had a cough that night.
Yuzu Asia Tour 2016 Summer Natsuiro, *Scape The Ground Theatre, July 9
To mark their 20th anniversary, Japanese folk-pop duo Yuzu embarked on their first Asian tour. They brought with them a taste of natsu matsuri (summer festivals) with their sunny and breezy tracks, which were accompanied by guitars and the plaintive wail of the harmonica.
There was even a fun mass dance segment with two costumed Japanese Citron (yuzu) Monkeys leading the choreography with chirpy instructions to “tap tap your bum”.
WORST
“The Invincible” Jay Chou Concert Tour 2016, National Stadium, Sept 3
As expected, the production was top-notch for Mandopop king Jay Chou’s gig. But vocally, the singer was not at his best. He was too ready to point his microphone towards the audience members for them to sing along and he seemed to be relying heavily on his back-up singers.
The sound quality was contentious as well, with some fans demanding a refund after the show due to the poor acoustics.
Not being able to make out what Chou is singing because of his characteristic mumble is one thing. Not being able to do so because of murky sound is another altogether.
(ST)
BEST
Stella Zhang Qing Fang Live In Singapore 2016, Singapore Indoor Stadium, Jan 30
It has been 20 years since Taiwan’s Stella Chang (photo 13) performed here and time has not dimmed her crystalline-clear vocals. Remarkably, her voice grew in strength and vibrance over the course of the show.
It also helps that she was never a cutesy teen idol and her love ballads have weathered the years well. The staging was elegant and classy and it all came together with a flourish for the finale.
Dressed in a vermillion gown and framed by a giant gazebo with a huge wall of flowers as a backdrop, she cut a striking figure as red confetti drifted down lazily.
Terry Lin Onetake Concert 2016 World Tour In Singapore, Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre, Aug 26
Taiwan’s Terry Lin might not have idol looks and he can be a little awkward on stage.
But none of that matters when he sings. There is a purity to his pipes that makes emotions ring bright and true, and he glides effortlessly over the high notes, even in falsetto.
Apart from performing his solo hits and songs from his Ukulele duo days, he took on several covers, managing to make even a hackneyed ballad such as Making Love Out Of Nothing At All feel fresh. And to think he had a cough that night.
Yuzu Asia Tour 2016 Summer Natsuiro, *Scape The Ground Theatre, July 9
To mark their 20th anniversary, Japanese folk-pop duo Yuzu embarked on their first Asian tour. They brought with them a taste of natsu matsuri (summer festivals) with their sunny and breezy tracks, which were accompanied by guitars and the plaintive wail of the harmonica.
There was even a fun mass dance segment with two costumed Japanese Citron (yuzu) Monkeys leading the choreography with chirpy instructions to “tap tap your bum”.
WORST
“The Invincible” Jay Chou Concert Tour 2016, National Stadium, Sept 3
As expected, the production was top-notch for Mandopop king Jay Chou’s gig. But vocally, the singer was not at his best. He was too ready to point his microphone towards the audience members for them to sing along and he seemed to be relying heavily on his back-up singers.
The sound quality was contentious as well, with some fans demanding a refund after the show due to the poor acoustics.
Not being able to make out what Chou is singing because of his characteristic mumble is one thing. Not being able to do so because of murky sound is another altogether.
(ST)
Films of 2016
BEST
Mr Six
China’s Feng Xiaogang is equally at home behind the camera or in front of it. He is tremendous in this compelling character study of the titular Mr Six (photo 2), a Beijing old-timer of honour and principles who is out of step with the times, and he deservedly walked away with the Golden Horse Award for Best Actor.
The film packs in plenty of observations about contemporary Chinese society and values and ends with a visually spectacular showdown on a frozen lake.
Ten Years
The controversial Hong Kong Film Award winner for Best Film paints a disturbing picture of the territory in 2025. The anthology comprises Extras by Kwok Zune, Season Of The End by Wong Fei Pang, Dialect by Jevons Au, Self-Immolator by Kiwi Chow and Local Egg by Ng Ka Leung. The works run the gamut from heavily metaphorical to darkly humorous to overtly political.
The movieis uneven and raw at times, but is also filled with unbridled passion and a sense of urgency and it taps into a very real sense of unease about Hong Kong’s future.
Your Name
The anime flick, which has been smashing records at home in Japan, tells a beguiling story in an unexpected way and deftly ties together strands of humour, romance and mystery.
The movie starts out as a light-hearted high-school comedy and deepens into an existential mystery and a rumination on the nature of time as the appearance of a comet and the Japanese tradition of braiding cords are woven in.
The animation is gorgeous, detailed and vividly coloured.
WORST
A Chinese Odyssey Part Three
Comedian Stephen Chow’s priceless deadpan performance in his dual roles of Joker and Monkey King is a big reason the two-part A Chinese Odyssey (1995) is so beloved by its fans.
So a part three sans Chow – and much of the original Hong Kong cast – is absolute travesty in this sequel to the Journey To The West movies.
Even the jokes here are recycled. Did director Jeffrey Lau run out of money and ideas?
(ST)
BEST
Mr Six
China’s Feng Xiaogang is equally at home behind the camera or in front of it. He is tremendous in this compelling character study of the titular Mr Six (photo 2), a Beijing old-timer of honour and principles who is out of step with the times, and he deservedly walked away with the Golden Horse Award for Best Actor.
The film packs in plenty of observations about contemporary Chinese society and values and ends with a visually spectacular showdown on a frozen lake.
Ten Years
The controversial Hong Kong Film Award winner for Best Film paints a disturbing picture of the territory in 2025. The anthology comprises Extras by Kwok Zune, Season Of The End by Wong Fei Pang, Dialect by Jevons Au, Self-Immolator by Kiwi Chow and Local Egg by Ng Ka Leung. The works run the gamut from heavily metaphorical to darkly humorous to overtly political.
The movieis uneven and raw at times, but is also filled with unbridled passion and a sense of urgency and it taps into a very real sense of unease about Hong Kong’s future.
Your Name
The anime flick, which has been smashing records at home in Japan, tells a beguiling story in an unexpected way and deftly ties together strands of humour, romance and mystery.
The movie starts out as a light-hearted high-school comedy and deepens into an existential mystery and a rumination on the nature of time as the appearance of a comet and the Japanese tradition of braiding cords are woven in.
The animation is gorgeous, detailed and vividly coloured.
WORST
A Chinese Odyssey Part Three
Comedian Stephen Chow’s priceless deadpan performance in his dual roles of Joker and Monkey King is a big reason the two-part A Chinese Odyssey (1995) is so beloved by its fans.
So a part three sans Chow – and much of the original Hong Kong cast – is absolute travesty in this sequel to the Journey To The West movies.
Even the jokes here are recycled. Did director Jeffrey Lau run out of money and ideas?
(ST)
Thursday, December 15, 2016
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Gareth Edwards
The story: The Rebel Alliance recruits a reluctant Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) in its war against the evil Galactic Empire. Her missing-for-years father Galen (Mads Mikkelsen) has secretly sent a message about the Empire’s powerful new weapon, the Death Star, through former Imperial pilot Bodhi (Riz Ahmed). She embarks on a mission with intelligence officer Cassian (Diego Luna), blind warrior Chirrut (Donnie Yen), freelance assassin Baze (Jiang Wen) and android K-2SO (Alan Tudyk) to track down her father and finds out that the planet-zapping Death Star has a weakness.
Rogue One is the call sign of the space vehicle that they travel in.
For those who have wondered how the Empire could build such a powerful weapon of destruction and yet conveniently leave a fatal flaw in it that would allow Luke Skywalker to destroy it in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), this movie is for you.
Rogue One serves to bridge Episode III – Revenge Of The Sith (2005), which ends with the construction of the Death Star, and A New Hope, which starts with rebel leader Princess Leia having acquired the blueprint for it. But I suppose Episode 3.5 would have made for an awkward title.
Like the last Star Wars title, The Force Awakens (2015), this new instalment features a diverse cast in terms of gender and ethnicity.
Felicity Jones makes the jump from award-winning dramas (The Theory Of Everything, 2014) to big-budget movies (Inferno, 2016) and her strong-willed and quick- thinking heroine is compelling. Mexican actor Diego Luna and British-Pakistani actor-rapper Riz Ahmed are competent in their roles.
And, cue sigh of relief, Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen is no mere token presence. Chirrut is some kind of Jedi gongfu warrior and Yen gets to show off some moves and also has a poignant and pivotal scene towards the end.
In comparison, acclaimed Chinese actor-director Jiang Wen has less to do, although he does make an impact of sorts with his screen presence.
There is also comic relief from K-2SO (voiced by Alan Tudyk) – a droll droid in the tradition of C-3PO – once part of the short-lived space adventure series, Firefly (2002).
While the movie is a little confusing to follow at the beginning, jumping as it does from location to location, director Gareth Edwards (Godzilla, 2014) soon gets a handle on its scale as he juggles more intimate moments between the characters with the bigger battle and space scenes.
So, Rogue One is entertaining enough, but there is not much surprise as to how things turn out, given that the audience already knows that Princess Leia has the plans in A New Hope.
If only the story could have gone a little rogue.
(ST)
Gareth Edwards
The story: The Rebel Alliance recruits a reluctant Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) in its war against the evil Galactic Empire. Her missing-for-years father Galen (Mads Mikkelsen) has secretly sent a message about the Empire’s powerful new weapon, the Death Star, through former Imperial pilot Bodhi (Riz Ahmed). She embarks on a mission with intelligence officer Cassian (Diego Luna), blind warrior Chirrut (Donnie Yen), freelance assassin Baze (Jiang Wen) and android K-2SO (Alan Tudyk) to track down her father and finds out that the planet-zapping Death Star has a weakness.
Rogue One is the call sign of the space vehicle that they travel in.
For those who have wondered how the Empire could build such a powerful weapon of destruction and yet conveniently leave a fatal flaw in it that would allow Luke Skywalker to destroy it in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), this movie is for you.
Rogue One serves to bridge Episode III – Revenge Of The Sith (2005), which ends with the construction of the Death Star, and A New Hope, which starts with rebel leader Princess Leia having acquired the blueprint for it. But I suppose Episode 3.5 would have made for an awkward title.
Like the last Star Wars title, The Force Awakens (2015), this new instalment features a diverse cast in terms of gender and ethnicity.
Felicity Jones makes the jump from award-winning dramas (The Theory Of Everything, 2014) to big-budget movies (Inferno, 2016) and her strong-willed and quick- thinking heroine is compelling. Mexican actor Diego Luna and British-Pakistani actor-rapper Riz Ahmed are competent in their roles.
And, cue sigh of relief, Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen is no mere token presence. Chirrut is some kind of Jedi gongfu warrior and Yen gets to show off some moves and also has a poignant and pivotal scene towards the end.
In comparison, acclaimed Chinese actor-director Jiang Wen has less to do, although he does make an impact of sorts with his screen presence.
There is also comic relief from K-2SO (voiced by Alan Tudyk) – a droll droid in the tradition of C-3PO – once part of the short-lived space adventure series, Firefly (2002).
While the movie is a little confusing to follow at the beginning, jumping as it does from location to location, director Gareth Edwards (Godzilla, 2014) soon gets a handle on its scale as he juggles more intimate moments between the characters with the bigger battle and space scenes.
So, Rogue One is entertaining enough, but there is not much surprise as to how things turn out, given that the audience already knows that Princess Leia has the plans in A New Hope.
If only the story could have gone a little rogue.
(ST)
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
Imperfections
Ellen Loo
Fabulous
Sammi Cheng
There seems to be a lot weighing on Hong Kong singer-songwriter Ellen Loo’s mind.
On her latest solo Mandarin album, images of destruction and perversion of the natural world flit across tracks such as the guitar- and-tambourine-accompanied Mai Kong Qi De Ren (literally The Man Selling Air) and the flamenco- tinged Wu He (No Seeds).
She paints a bleak picture of the former: “Who dares to put a price tag on the water and land, air, forests/No responsibility, no life, nobody leaves here alive”.
On the song Ka Dai (Cassette), she wonders if she is out of step with everyone else: “The world outside wants me to go faster.../But I’m stuck in rewind in the machine”.
While she explores unusual territory lyrically, the music feels a little less engaging at first compared with that of her previous albums The Ripples (2011) and You’re Nobody To Me (2012).
The electro-pop of Through The Hurdles, which Loo composed with Hong Kong pop star Sammi Cheng for her Cantonese record Fabulous is more immediate. The uplifting dance number features lyrics by Lin Xi: “Through the hurdles, do you need permission from the world to be happy/Through the hurdles, only if you can let things go can you carry them”.
There is a good mix of fast and slow songs here, including radio- friendly numbers such as ballad I’m Not A Singer and mid-tempo track 8km.
She breaks into full-on dance diva mode with Incredible and the title track, on which she proclaims: “We make it fabulous”. Yes indeed, she does.
(ST)
Ellen Loo
Fabulous
Sammi Cheng
There seems to be a lot weighing on Hong Kong singer-songwriter Ellen Loo’s mind.
On her latest solo Mandarin album, images of destruction and perversion of the natural world flit across tracks such as the guitar- and-tambourine-accompanied Mai Kong Qi De Ren (literally The Man Selling Air) and the flamenco- tinged Wu He (No Seeds).
She paints a bleak picture of the former: “Who dares to put a price tag on the water and land, air, forests/No responsibility, no life, nobody leaves here alive”.
On the song Ka Dai (Cassette), she wonders if she is out of step with everyone else: “The world outside wants me to go faster.../But I’m stuck in rewind in the machine”.
While she explores unusual territory lyrically, the music feels a little less engaging at first compared with that of her previous albums The Ripples (2011) and You’re Nobody To Me (2012).
The electro-pop of Through The Hurdles, which Loo composed with Hong Kong pop star Sammi Cheng for her Cantonese record Fabulous is more immediate. The uplifting dance number features lyrics by Lin Xi: “Through the hurdles, do you need permission from the world to be happy/Through the hurdles, only if you can let things go can you carry them”.
There is a good mix of fast and slow songs here, including radio- friendly numbers such as ballad I’m Not A Singer and mid-tempo track 8km.
She breaks into full-on dance diva mode with Incredible and the title track, on which she proclaims: “We make it fabulous”. Yes indeed, she does.
(ST)
10,000 Miles
Simon Hung
The story: High school student Kevin (Huang Yuan) is so determined to run that he leaves home to join his elder brother Sean’s (Darren Wang) track team. He gets rejected, but Ellie (Megan Lai), a senior member of the team, starts to train him. Their burgeoning relationship is tested when Kevin defies her to take part in a competition despite being injured.
There is a thin line between being passionate about something and being pig-headed and reckless about it. It is a line that Kevin crosses with abandon.
Injured as a result of over-training, he insists on taking part in a competition despite being warned that doing so could cripple him. On top of his petulant behaviour, he is also often shouty and unreasonable.
If not for the fact that Huang plays him with such earnestness, he would be completely insufferable.
It does not help that director and co-writer Simon Hung piles on florid emotions and cliches, turning 10,000 Miles into a sports film on melodrama steroids.
The story veers off-track when Kevin turns to driving a taxi to make a living while Sean bizarrely ends up as a criminal. Thrown into the mix are a tragic past for Ellie, Kevin’s disapproving father and an orphanage that needs to be saved from impending closure.
And then there is the Jay Chou cameo.
The Mandopop king drops in for a scene as his younger, demo-toting self taking a cab ride to a record company, inspiring Kevin in the process to keep running. This is even more jarring than superstar Andy Lau’s appearance as himself at the end of the youth romance comedy Our Times (2015), as it jolts one out of the movie.
Kevin eventually takes on a brutal run along the Silk Road to fulfil a promise. The movie then ends abruptly, as though it has suddenly run out of steam.
(ST)
Simon Hung
The story: High school student Kevin (Huang Yuan) is so determined to run that he leaves home to join his elder brother Sean’s (Darren Wang) track team. He gets rejected, but Ellie (Megan Lai), a senior member of the team, starts to train him. Their burgeoning relationship is tested when Kevin defies her to take part in a competition despite being injured.
There is a thin line between being passionate about something and being pig-headed and reckless about it. It is a line that Kevin crosses with abandon.
Injured as a result of over-training, he insists on taking part in a competition despite being warned that doing so could cripple him. On top of his petulant behaviour, he is also often shouty and unreasonable.
If not for the fact that Huang plays him with such earnestness, he would be completely insufferable.
It does not help that director and co-writer Simon Hung piles on florid emotions and cliches, turning 10,000 Miles into a sports film on melodrama steroids.
The story veers off-track when Kevin turns to driving a taxi to make a living while Sean bizarrely ends up as a criminal. Thrown into the mix are a tragic past for Ellie, Kevin’s disapproving father and an orphanage that needs to be saved from impending closure.
And then there is the Jay Chou cameo.
The Mandopop king drops in for a scene as his younger, demo-toting self taking a cab ride to a record company, inspiring Kevin in the process to keep running. This is even more jarring than superstar Andy Lau’s appearance as himself at the end of the youth romance comedy Our Times (2015), as it jolts one out of the movie.
Kevin eventually takes on a brutal run along the Silk Road to fulfil a promise. The movie then ends abruptly, as though it has suddenly run out of steam.
(ST)
Wednesday, December 07, 2016
Progress Reports
Eli Hsieh
Thanks to a Golden Melody Award win for Best New Artist in June, Taiwanese Eli Hsieh’s debut album Progress Reports – released on Dec 31 last year – has been getting more attention, including from this reviewer. And deservedly so.
The work is intimate and ambitious. Conceptually, it was inspired by American writer Daniel Keyes’ sci-fi short story Flowers For Algernon, comprising progress reports by the protagonist Charlie, as his low IQ is boosted through surgery. But the experiment is ultimately a failure.
The singer-songwriter’s pellucid voice evokes an unvarnished portrait of a young man’s emotional world. In a life that can be filled with uncertainty and diminished expectations, there are moments of grace and light.
The opening track Roam finds him contemplating: “What have I lost, what have I found/I don’t want that much right now.” Worry Song finds him fretting about the state we are in: “The whole world, the dark world/But I’m still living in these times/So I can only sing.”
There are no grandiose dreams, only modest ambitions to hold on to. On the guitar ballad Light, he wants to shine bright – but not like the sun: “I only wish to be a lamp for you/Press the switch when you need me.”
Just when you have him pegged as a sensitive troubadour, Hsieh surprises you with the rock-tinged You Found Me that harks back to early Maroon 5, a splash of electronica on Still Alive and then, for good measure, a dose of rap on You Found Me.
He might be a mercurial millennial, but there is no doubting the power of his songs. He performs in Singapore on Feb 11 as part of the Huayi Chinese Festival of Arts. For those who watched him sing as a 13-year-old on the singing contest One Million Star in 2007, this would be a chance to see how far he has progressed.
(ST)
Eli Hsieh
Thanks to a Golden Melody Award win for Best New Artist in June, Taiwanese Eli Hsieh’s debut album Progress Reports – released on Dec 31 last year – has been getting more attention, including from this reviewer. And deservedly so.
The work is intimate and ambitious. Conceptually, it was inspired by American writer Daniel Keyes’ sci-fi short story Flowers For Algernon, comprising progress reports by the protagonist Charlie, as his low IQ is boosted through surgery. But the experiment is ultimately a failure.
The singer-songwriter’s pellucid voice evokes an unvarnished portrait of a young man’s emotional world. In a life that can be filled with uncertainty and diminished expectations, there are moments of grace and light.
The opening track Roam finds him contemplating: “What have I lost, what have I found/I don’t want that much right now.” Worry Song finds him fretting about the state we are in: “The whole world, the dark world/But I’m still living in these times/So I can only sing.”
There are no grandiose dreams, only modest ambitions to hold on to. On the guitar ballad Light, he wants to shine bright – but not like the sun: “I only wish to be a lamp for you/Press the switch when you need me.”
Just when you have him pegged as a sensitive troubadour, Hsieh surprises you with the rock-tinged You Found Me that harks back to early Maroon 5, a splash of electronica on Still Alive and then, for good measure, a dose of rap on You Found Me.
He might be a mercurial millennial, but there is no doubting the power of his songs. He performs in Singapore on Feb 11 as part of the Huayi Chinese Festival of Arts. For those who watched him sing as a 13-year-old on the singing contest One Million Star in 2007, this would be a chance to see how far he has progressed.
(ST)
Suddenly 17
Zhang Mo
The story: Liang (Ni Ni) has been with her boyfriend Mao (Wallace Huo) for 10 years, but the marriage proposal she has been expecting from him does not arrive. A box of chocolates she buys, for her to eat away her sorrows, turns out to have magical powers. Each piece of chocolate consumed returns her to her 17-year-old self, albeit in her 28-year-old body. The younger Liang then falls for a biker kid, Yan (Wang Ta-lu).
Body swopping is a common plot device in films that still works when it is done well. The massive success of this year’s hit Japanese anime Your Name is a case in point.
Director and co-writer Zhang Mo tries to give a twist to the tried-and- tested genre by swopping the same person at different ages into one body. Unfortunately, it does not work.
For one thing, the older and younger Liang seem like two different people rather than the same person at different ages. Big Liang is mousy and eager to please her man, while Little Liang brashly takes the initiative and is committed to her drawings and paintings.
Suddenly 17 ends up being an unfunny split personality movie – it is dour when one sees Big Liang and needlessly manic when Little Liang takes over because, well, youth rocks.
That both personalities are, in fact, Liang means that the antagonism between them feels forced – she is ultimately making things difficult for herself.
The idea here is that one’s youthful self is more idealistic and authentic and worth holding on to. Unfortunately, the execution of it is incredibly literal – Big Liang tries to hold on to Little Liang in one scene.
Meanwhile, the underwritten male characters seem like poor motivators for Liang’s actions.
Did Zhang pick the light-hearted romance comedy genre to steer clear of comparisons with her acclaimed film-making father Zhang Yimou’s dramas?
The comparisons will be made regardless and, based on this work, they will not be favourable.
(ST)
Zhang Mo
The story: Liang (Ni Ni) has been with her boyfriend Mao (Wallace Huo) for 10 years, but the marriage proposal she has been expecting from him does not arrive. A box of chocolates she buys, for her to eat away her sorrows, turns out to have magical powers. Each piece of chocolate consumed returns her to her 17-year-old self, albeit in her 28-year-old body. The younger Liang then falls for a biker kid, Yan (Wang Ta-lu).
Body swopping is a common plot device in films that still works when it is done well. The massive success of this year’s hit Japanese anime Your Name is a case in point.
Director and co-writer Zhang Mo tries to give a twist to the tried-and- tested genre by swopping the same person at different ages into one body. Unfortunately, it does not work.
For one thing, the older and younger Liang seem like two different people rather than the same person at different ages. Big Liang is mousy and eager to please her man, while Little Liang brashly takes the initiative and is committed to her drawings and paintings.
Suddenly 17 ends up being an unfunny split personality movie – it is dour when one sees Big Liang and needlessly manic when Little Liang takes over because, well, youth rocks.
That both personalities are, in fact, Liang means that the antagonism between them feels forced – she is ultimately making things difficult for herself.
The idea here is that one’s youthful self is more idealistic and authentic and worth holding on to. Unfortunately, the execution of it is incredibly literal – Big Liang tries to hold on to Little Liang in one scene.
Meanwhile, the underwritten male characters seem like poor motivators for Liang’s actions.
Did Zhang pick the light-hearted romance comedy genre to steer clear of comparisons with her acclaimed film-making father Zhang Yimou’s dramas?
The comparisons will be made regardless and, based on this work, they will not be favourable.
(ST)
Museum
Keishi Otomo
The story: A woman is killed by ravenous dogs. An unemployed man who mooches off his mother is killed in yet another grisly manner. As detective Sawamura (Shun Oguri) digs deeper into the murders, a link surfaces to an earlier case of a girl encased in resin. Then, his estranged wife and their son go missing. Who is behind it all and what does he have planned for Sawamura? Based on the 2013-2014 manga by Ryosuke Tomoe.
It does not seem all that long ago (2005, actually) that Japanese actor Oguri broke out in the idol drama Boys Over Flowers as pretty-as- a-flower Hanazawa Rui.
Here, he plays a grizzled detective, Sawamura, a man stretched to breaking point by a sadistic serial killer who hides behind a frog mask.
While it is laudable that the 33- year-old actor wants to stretch himself professionally, Museum is not quite the ideal vehicle for doing so – it comes across as being more interested in the horrific spectacle of death than the psychology behind the crimes.
The gruesome murders are each described by the perpetrator as punishments, including “dog food penalty” and “feel pain of mom penalty”. They recall the horrific murders and the deliberate way in which the victims were displayed in Seven (1995).
The titular museum is a twisted take on the concept by the killer, who envisions a series of bloodcurdling tableaux for his museum of horrors. Alas, the motivation behind his plan is cursory.
In other respects, director Keishi Otomo, who did a better job with adapting the period action manga Rurouni Kenshin, is too heavy- handed – from the repeated flashbacks to the over-the-top emotions spilling forth.
This is an exhibit of a movie that is too baldly manipulative.
(ST)
Keishi Otomo
The story: A woman is killed by ravenous dogs. An unemployed man who mooches off his mother is killed in yet another grisly manner. As detective Sawamura (Shun Oguri) digs deeper into the murders, a link surfaces to an earlier case of a girl encased in resin. Then, his estranged wife and their son go missing. Who is behind it all and what does he have planned for Sawamura? Based on the 2013-2014 manga by Ryosuke Tomoe.
It does not seem all that long ago (2005, actually) that Japanese actor Oguri broke out in the idol drama Boys Over Flowers as pretty-as- a-flower Hanazawa Rui.
Here, he plays a grizzled detective, Sawamura, a man stretched to breaking point by a sadistic serial killer who hides behind a frog mask.
While it is laudable that the 33- year-old actor wants to stretch himself professionally, Museum is not quite the ideal vehicle for doing so – it comes across as being more interested in the horrific spectacle of death than the psychology behind the crimes.
The gruesome murders are each described by the perpetrator as punishments, including “dog food penalty” and “feel pain of mom penalty”. They recall the horrific murders and the deliberate way in which the victims were displayed in Seven (1995).
The titular museum is a twisted take on the concept by the killer, who envisions a series of bloodcurdling tableaux for his museum of horrors. Alas, the motivation behind his plan is cursory.
In other respects, director Keishi Otomo, who did a better job with adapting the period action manga Rurouni Kenshin, is too heavy- handed – from the repeated flashbacks to the over-the-top emotions spilling forth.
This is an exhibit of a movie that is too baldly manipulative.
(ST)
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