Much Feeling Little Thinking
Ivana Wong
On the album opener Starry Sky, Hong Kong singer-actress Ivana Wong croons intimately: “A dream is like plucking a star or plucking starlight, is it a question or an answer/What’s fake becomes real, what’s real panics.”
She teases apart dualities and finds riddles and conundrums. The song itself is always beguiling, with the pairing of Lin Xi’s probing lyrics and her pretty tune.
The surprising number starts as a piano ballad and then veers into electronica territory as her voice is manipulated and distorted. She is so confident of it that the second track is a piano-accompanied version that highlights the tenderness and yearning in her voice. It has been some time since such an enchanting Cantopop ballad came along.
We They is another collaboration with Lin in which dichotomies are dissected to intriguing effect: “How does grey judge black and white/How does the middle critique left and right/Who are we, who are they/Who’s knocking at the door, who’s willing to answer.”
The album feels a little too sprawling at 14 tracks and the narrative of Minor Surgery, for one, feels a little out of place. Included as well are a handful of Mandarin tracks, including the lilting Zhi Hu Zhe Ye (All Greek To Me).
While the title suggests that it is either one or the either, this record proves that Wong can make music that engages both the heart and the head.
(ST)
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Okja
Bong Joon Ho
The story: For 10 years, Mija (Ahn Seo Hyun) has been living an idyllic life in the mountains of South Korea with her grandfather and her giant pig companion Okja. But Okja is actually the property of a multinational company headed by Lucy Mirando (Tilda Swinton) and she wants it shipped back to the United States to be crowned winner of a super pig contest.
Mija is determined to save her friend and gets some unexpected help from animal-rights activists, including Jay (Paul Dano) and K (Steven Yeun).
The bond between man and animal (real or imagined) has been explored recently in the family- friendly fantasy Pete’s Dragon (2016) as well as in Singapore-born film-maker Kirsten Tan’s whimsical drama Pop Aye (2017), in which an architect reunites with his childhood companion elephant.
Okja, which was in competition for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival last month, falls on the fantasy side of the spectrum.
The titular creature is a giant pig, one that sometimes resembles a hippopotamus, but with soulful eyes that suggest a strong connection with her human caretaker.
When Okja is threatened, Mija’s anger, fear and desperation are palpable. Ahn (The Housemaid, 2010) is compelling and will have you rooting for her.
The film is most satisfying when it dwells on their bond. The bucolic existence of a girl and her pig in a verdant and bountiful land, beautifully filmed by South Korean writer-director Bong Joon Ho, feels like a fairy tale.
Yet its shifting tone – from drama to comedy to thriller – is jarring.
This is disappointing, coming from Bong, who has produced excellent work, from the gripping thriller Memories Of Murder (2003) to the wrenching drama Mother (2009). And the superior creature feature from the film-maker remains 2006’s The Host.
When Okja is not a creature feature, it is bogged down by the other stuff, from the controversy over genetically modified food to corporate greed and deception.
Worse, Swinton’s performance is mannered and Jake Gyllenhaal’s exaggerated portrayal of an insecure television personality/zoologist comes across as gimmicky.
At least the activists are endearing in their reluctance to hurt any living thing, even their human foes.
(ST)
Bong Joon Ho
The story: For 10 years, Mija (Ahn Seo Hyun) has been living an idyllic life in the mountains of South Korea with her grandfather and her giant pig companion Okja. But Okja is actually the property of a multinational company headed by Lucy Mirando (Tilda Swinton) and she wants it shipped back to the United States to be crowned winner of a super pig contest.
Mija is determined to save her friend and gets some unexpected help from animal-rights activists, including Jay (Paul Dano) and K (Steven Yeun).
The bond between man and animal (real or imagined) has been explored recently in the family- friendly fantasy Pete’s Dragon (2016) as well as in Singapore-born film-maker Kirsten Tan’s whimsical drama Pop Aye (2017), in which an architect reunites with his childhood companion elephant.
Okja, which was in competition for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival last month, falls on the fantasy side of the spectrum.
The titular creature is a giant pig, one that sometimes resembles a hippopotamus, but with soulful eyes that suggest a strong connection with her human caretaker.
When Okja is threatened, Mija’s anger, fear and desperation are palpable. Ahn (The Housemaid, 2010) is compelling and will have you rooting for her.
The film is most satisfying when it dwells on their bond. The bucolic existence of a girl and her pig in a verdant and bountiful land, beautifully filmed by South Korean writer-director Bong Joon Ho, feels like a fairy tale.
Yet its shifting tone – from drama to comedy to thriller – is jarring.
This is disappointing, coming from Bong, who has produced excellent work, from the gripping thriller Memories Of Murder (2003) to the wrenching drama Mother (2009). And the superior creature feature from the film-maker remains 2006’s The Host.
When Okja is not a creature feature, it is bogged down by the other stuff, from the controversy over genetically modified food to corporate greed and deception.
Worse, Swinton’s performance is mannered and Jake Gyllenhaal’s exaggerated portrayal of an insecure television personality/zoologist comes across as gimmicky.
At least the activists are endearing in their reluctance to hurt any living thing, even their human foes.
(ST)
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
Mad World
Wong Chun
The story: After he is discharged from a mental health institution, Tung (Shawn Yue) moves in with his estranged truck-driver father (Eric Tsang). The former financial analyst tries to get a job and reaches out to his former fiancee, Jenny (Charmaine Fong). But the cloud of his mother’s (Elaine Jin) accidental death and his decision to go off his medication prove to be a potent combination.
There is a fine tradition of socially conscious films from Hong Kong, such as Ann Hui’s Boat People (1982), about Vietnamese refugees, and Cageman (1992), about the horrific living conditions of the territory’s destitute.
That mantle has been passed to a new generation of film-makers, such as Jevons Au and Kiwi Chow (dystopian Hong Kong portrait Ten Years, 2015), as well as Wong Chun, whose compassionate debut feature Mad World takes on the topic of mental illness.
To his credit, this never turns into a preachy “issues” film.
He depicts the malady of intolerance and fear towards mental illness, but does not pretend there are easy remedies. Mad World is an indictment, but it is not a didactic prescription about what should or should not be done.
Instead, the work is grounded by solid performances.
Tsang is a guilt-ridden father trying to make amends and finds himself confronted with difficult questions as the sole caretaker of his son: What is the right thing to do? What is the loving thing to do?
Yue plays a bipolar disorder sufferer trying to make his way in a world in which empathy and kindness are so hard to come by – proving there is more to his range than the laidback Jimmy he has played in the hit romantic comedy series that began with Love In A Puff (2010).
Even when Tung strikes up an unlikely friendship with a precocious little boy who lives in the same tenement unit, that connection eventually becomes fraught.
Jin as Tung’s pain-ridden, embittered and combative mother and Fong as the ex-fiancee struggling with forgiveness are portrayals that also ring true.
The deeply humanist film has been racking up accolades, including Golden Horse Awards for Best New Director and Best Supporting Actress for Jin; and Hong Kong Film Awards for Best New Director, Best Supporting Actress for Jin and Best Supporting Actor for Tsang.
It sold out three sessions at the Singapore Chinese Film Festival earlier this year and has now been picked up for general release.
The difference is that audiences will watch it in dubbed-over Mandarin, instead of the original Cantonese.
Wong Chun
The story: After he is discharged from a mental health institution, Tung (Shawn Yue) moves in with his estranged truck-driver father (Eric Tsang). The former financial analyst tries to get a job and reaches out to his former fiancee, Jenny (Charmaine Fong). But the cloud of his mother’s (Elaine Jin) accidental death and his decision to go off his medication prove to be a potent combination.
There is a fine tradition of socially conscious films from Hong Kong, such as Ann Hui’s Boat People (1982), about Vietnamese refugees, and Cageman (1992), about the horrific living conditions of the territory’s destitute.
That mantle has been passed to a new generation of film-makers, such as Jevons Au and Kiwi Chow (dystopian Hong Kong portrait Ten Years, 2015), as well as Wong Chun, whose compassionate debut feature Mad World takes on the topic of mental illness.
To his credit, this never turns into a preachy “issues” film.
He depicts the malady of intolerance and fear towards mental illness, but does not pretend there are easy remedies. Mad World is an indictment, but it is not a didactic prescription about what should or should not be done.
Instead, the work is grounded by solid performances.
Tsang is a guilt-ridden father trying to make amends and finds himself confronted with difficult questions as the sole caretaker of his son: What is the right thing to do? What is the loving thing to do?
Yue plays a bipolar disorder sufferer trying to make his way in a world in which empathy and kindness are so hard to come by – proving there is more to his range than the laidback Jimmy he has played in the hit romantic comedy series that began with Love In A Puff (2010).
Even when Tung strikes up an unlikely friendship with a precocious little boy who lives in the same tenement unit, that connection eventually becomes fraught.
Jin as Tung’s pain-ridden, embittered and combative mother and Fong as the ex-fiancee struggling with forgiveness are portrayals that also ring true.
The deeply humanist film has been racking up accolades, including Golden Horse Awards for Best New Director and Best Supporting Actress for Jin; and Hong Kong Film Awards for Best New Director, Best Supporting Actress for Jin and Best Supporting Actor for Tsang.
It sold out three sessions at the Singapore Chinese Film Festival earlier this year and has now been picked up for general release.
The difference is that audiences will watch it in dubbed-over Mandarin, instead of the original Cantonese.
(ST)
Thursday, June 15, 2017
Despicable Me 3
Pierre Coffin, Kyle Balda
The story: Evil-turned-good Gru’s (Steve Carell) nemesis here is a bitter former television child star, Balthazar Bratt (Trey Parker), who is determined to relive his glory days in dastardly ways. Gru also finds out that he has a twin brother Dru (Carell), who looks exactly like him – but with a full head of blond hair to his bald pate. And Dru wants them to team up to snatch a huge diamond that Bratt has stolen.
Three movies in and this series has settled on a nice mix of breezy tone, funny gags and sweet moments.
The opening sequence alone is enough to raise some smiles as Bratt pulls off a heist to the soundtrack of Michael Jackson’s irrepressible hit, Bad. The period details of the 1980s child star’s get-up are perfect, from the flat top mullet haircut to the over-the-top shoulder pads.
His army of weaponised figurines is jokily christened Bratt Pack, a reference to the Brat Pack – a group of young actors including Rob Lowe and Emilio Estevez who frequently appeared in coming-of-age movies in the 1980s.
Parker, creator of the no-holds- barred animated series South Park (1997 to present), has a ball voicing the petulant villain and so does Carell as he plays with the dynamic between the twin brothers: one who has given up a life of crime and one who is dying to dip his toes into shady business.
Director Pierre Coffin, who helmed the previous two instalments, pairs up with a new co-director, Kyle Balda, here. The two had worked together on the spin-off flick Minions (2015), the titular querulous, yellow creatures being the breakout stars of the Despicable Me series.
But while carrying an entire movie might have been a tad much for the little critters, they are still a blast in little, manic doses. The side story of their incarceration is a hoot as they wrest control of the jail away from the tough guys and eventually break out of prison.
The sweet moments involve Gru’s wife and fellow crime-fighter Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig) learning to be a mother to his three adopted daughters.
But not to worry, things don’t get too saccharine. In fact, the complicated relationship between Gru and Dru suggests that sibling rivalry could be on the cards for the next movie.
(ST)
Pierre Coffin, Kyle Balda
The story: Evil-turned-good Gru’s (Steve Carell) nemesis here is a bitter former television child star, Balthazar Bratt (Trey Parker), who is determined to relive his glory days in dastardly ways. Gru also finds out that he has a twin brother Dru (Carell), who looks exactly like him – but with a full head of blond hair to his bald pate. And Dru wants them to team up to snatch a huge diamond that Bratt has stolen.
Three movies in and this series has settled on a nice mix of breezy tone, funny gags and sweet moments.
The opening sequence alone is enough to raise some smiles as Bratt pulls off a heist to the soundtrack of Michael Jackson’s irrepressible hit, Bad. The period details of the 1980s child star’s get-up are perfect, from the flat top mullet haircut to the over-the-top shoulder pads.
His army of weaponised figurines is jokily christened Bratt Pack, a reference to the Brat Pack – a group of young actors including Rob Lowe and Emilio Estevez who frequently appeared in coming-of-age movies in the 1980s.
Parker, creator of the no-holds- barred animated series South Park (1997 to present), has a ball voicing the petulant villain and so does Carell as he plays with the dynamic between the twin brothers: one who has given up a life of crime and one who is dying to dip his toes into shady business.
Director Pierre Coffin, who helmed the previous two instalments, pairs up with a new co-director, Kyle Balda, here. The two had worked together on the spin-off flick Minions (2015), the titular querulous, yellow creatures being the breakout stars of the Despicable Me series.
But while carrying an entire movie might have been a tad much for the little critters, they are still a blast in little, manic doses. The side story of their incarceration is a hoot as they wrest control of the jail away from the tough guys and eventually break out of prison.
The sweet moments involve Gru’s wife and fellow crime-fighter Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig) learning to be a mother to his three adopted daughters.
But not to worry, things don’t get too saccharine. In fact, the complicated relationship between Gru and Dru suggests that sibling rivalry could be on the cards for the next movie.
(ST)
Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Million Songs Hill
Xu Jun
Apart from Guo Ding, Xu Jun is another Chinese singer-songwriter who has found favour at the prestigious Golden Melody Awards.
His debut album, Million Songs Hill, has been nominated for Album of the Year and Best Mandarin Album. The results will be announced on June 24.
He took part in the second season of the reality television contest Sing My Song in 2015, but missed out on the Best Mandarin Male Vocalist category, in which Guo is up against familiar names such as Jay Chou, Yoga Lin and Khalil Fong.
The opening track, Shot By Love’s Gun, starts with a hymn-like organ introduction before Xu’s raspy voice paints a violent picture: “I was caught off-guard and shot by love’s gun/Collapsed in a pool of blood, but I’ve never thought of resisting.”
It is as though, in the face of a maelstrom of emotions, resistance is futile. But the chorus holds out hope: “I’ve tried hard to cross over these boiling waters and this door of anger.”
There is some variety, from the light-hearted Mess Around to the sole English number, Feathers, which Xu co-wrote with Australian singer-songwriter Hayley Aitken and Swedish writer-producer Ollipop. One can almost imagine him busking on the streets of Stockholm, where the album was recorded, with a guitar as he sings: “And as we go, go along, long this road/Passing people by/Like a leaf in the wind, we will rise and we will fall again.”
On the strength of this record, I would say that this is his time to rise.
(ST)
Xu Jun
Apart from Guo Ding, Xu Jun is another Chinese singer-songwriter who has found favour at the prestigious Golden Melody Awards.
His debut album, Million Songs Hill, has been nominated for Album of the Year and Best Mandarin Album. The results will be announced on June 24.
He took part in the second season of the reality television contest Sing My Song in 2015, but missed out on the Best Mandarin Male Vocalist category, in which Guo is up against familiar names such as Jay Chou, Yoga Lin and Khalil Fong.
The opening track, Shot By Love’s Gun, starts with a hymn-like organ introduction before Xu’s raspy voice paints a violent picture: “I was caught off-guard and shot by love’s gun/Collapsed in a pool of blood, but I’ve never thought of resisting.”
It is as though, in the face of a maelstrom of emotions, resistance is futile. But the chorus holds out hope: “I’ve tried hard to cross over these boiling waters and this door of anger.”
There is some variety, from the light-hearted Mess Around to the sole English number, Feathers, which Xu co-wrote with Australian singer-songwriter Hayley Aitken and Swedish writer-producer Ollipop. One can almost imagine him busking on the streets of Stockholm, where the album was recorded, with a guitar as he sings: “And as we go, go along, long this road/Passing people by/Like a leaf in the wind, we will rise and we will fall again.”
On the strength of this record, I would say that this is his time to rise.
(ST)
Saturday, June 10, 2017
At points, it was the largest KTV room in Singapore, as the crowd of about 7,200 sang along fervently. At others, it was the largest Mandopop disco as the beats throbbed, the lights danced and the audience boogied along.
Taiwanese diva A-mei moved effortlessly from one scenario to the other at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on June 9, equally at ease belting out ballads or firing up the high-octane dance numbers in her World Tour 2017 concert that was almost three hours long.
It took a while though before her vocals warmed up fully.
On the opening string of fast-paced tracks, her voice seemed quite ragged and the energy level wasn't quite there.
Given that her previous show here was at the National Stadium just last January, there was also a certain familiarity to the proceedings as she blew kisses and exhorted her fans to "give me your hands".
An early standout number was Bloody Love Story. While it was perhaps rather literal to bathe the stage in red, it was also effective in creating a macabre mood.
Things picked up further when the dreadlocked A-mei started singing I Hate I Love You. Her voice took centre stage as she crooned to the accompaniment of a piano, and it was warm and powerful. This was followed by Have You Heard Lately?, Truth and Want Nothing, the fans' chorusing growing louder with each hit.
The gig also marked the singer's 20th anniversary milestone and she had a few surprises up her sleeve. (Strictly speaking, her debut album Sisters came out in 1996, but who's quibbling?)
She sang the moving Listen To Me as a tribute to her "good teacher and friend", Taiwanese singer-songwriter-producer Chang Yu-sheng, who died in 1997 after a car accident. The song was released when he was in a coma fighting for his life and because of the painful associations, she has rarely performed it.
There were other, happier memories.
A-mei turned back the years in a time travel segment in which she performed one song each from every one of her 16 albums, starting with the reggae-influenced Jamaican Betel Nut off Amit2 (2015).
On the track Rainbow (from 2009's Amit), she waved around a rainbow flag and said: "I'm cheering on every kind of love." She dusted off the almost forgotten Journey (2001) and later recalled that she had filmed a music video in Singapore for the ballad Early (from 2000's Regardless).
During Hand In Hand (1998), the crowd clapped along; during Thinking Of You (from 1997's Bad Boy), they waved their hands in the air as one as A-mei urged the audience to set a high bar for the following night's almost sold-out show.
It ended at the beginning with Sisters, the title track of the 1996 album that made her name. She sang the 2016 slowed-down version, as though taking a moment to reflect on far how she has come - and how far her fans have travelled with her.
By the end of the night, my voice was starting to get ragged. A-mei sounded like she could sing for another 20 years.
(ST)
x
Wednesday, June 07, 2017
The Silent Star Stone
Guo Ding
Chinese singer-songwriter Guo Ding is breaking out with his album The Silent Star Stone.
He has six nominations at the prestigious Golden Melody Awards, including for Album of the Year, Best Mandarin Album and Best Mandarin Male Vocalist. The results will be announced on June 24.
This is his third record after his self-titled debut in 2005 and Wei Wei (Slightly) in 2009, but listeners here are unlikely to be familiar with the Hunan-born musician, given his songs have not gotten much airplay here.
Well, better late than never.
His voice is a mesmerising instrument that pulls one in from the get-go.
He has a richly resonant set of pipes with a slight drawl that hints of both intimacy and attitude, one that is magnetic at the lower end of the register and equally persuasive on the higher reaches.
Guo is up for the Best Composer and Best Lyricist gongs with the opening track Qi Mei Di (The Fog Space), which begins with the evocative couplet: “I used to be unsettled river waters/Winding through the forest to enter your heart by mistake.” It builds up to an unabashed declaration of love: “Hey, wait till I find you/Probe your gaze/Embrace with no distractions.”
This is lush and swoonsome pop, propelled by a pulsing beat and urgency of feeling.
Ballad Shui Xing Ji (Mercury Records) is another standout, with its delicacy of melody and mood and a chorus that tugs at the heartstrings: “How much further before I can enter your heart/How long before I can get close to you.”
It is nominated for Best Music Video and the clip puts a sciencefiction spin on the loss of a loved one.
Some influences here are unusual for Mandopop, but Guo makes them all sound natural and cohesive, from the bluesy Luo Di Zhi Qian (Before Hitting The Ground) to the disco-tinged You Shen Me Qi Guai (What’s So Strange).
Three years ago, Chinese singer-songwriter Li Ronghao was named Best New Artist at the Golden Melody Awards and he has proven himself to be a major new force in Mandopop.
It looks like he might be getting some company from a fellow countryman very soon.
(ST)
Guo Ding
Chinese singer-songwriter Guo Ding is breaking out with his album The Silent Star Stone.
He has six nominations at the prestigious Golden Melody Awards, including for Album of the Year, Best Mandarin Album and Best Mandarin Male Vocalist. The results will be announced on June 24.
This is his third record after his self-titled debut in 2005 and Wei Wei (Slightly) in 2009, but listeners here are unlikely to be familiar with the Hunan-born musician, given his songs have not gotten much airplay here.
Well, better late than never.
His voice is a mesmerising instrument that pulls one in from the get-go.
He has a richly resonant set of pipes with a slight drawl that hints of both intimacy and attitude, one that is magnetic at the lower end of the register and equally persuasive on the higher reaches.
Guo is up for the Best Composer and Best Lyricist gongs with the opening track Qi Mei Di (The Fog Space), which begins with the evocative couplet: “I used to be unsettled river waters/Winding through the forest to enter your heart by mistake.” It builds up to an unabashed declaration of love: “Hey, wait till I find you/Probe your gaze/Embrace with no distractions.”
This is lush and swoonsome pop, propelled by a pulsing beat and urgency of feeling.
Ballad Shui Xing Ji (Mercury Records) is another standout, with its delicacy of melody and mood and a chorus that tugs at the heartstrings: “How much further before I can enter your heart/How long before I can get close to you.”
It is nominated for Best Music Video and the clip puts a sciencefiction spin on the loss of a loved one.
Some influences here are unusual for Mandopop, but Guo makes them all sound natural and cohesive, from the bluesy Luo Di Zhi Qian (Before Hitting The Ground) to the disco-tinged You Shen Me Qi Guai (What’s So Strange).
Three years ago, Chinese singer-songwriter Li Ronghao was named Best New Artist at the Golden Melody Awards and he has proven himself to be a major new force in Mandopop.
It looks like he might be getting some company from a fellow countryman very soon.
(ST)
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