Love
Doze Niu
The story: Love – not to mention lust, hate and jealousy – is all around as the paths of eight characters cross. Budding film-maker Kai (Eddie Peng) is caught between best friends Ni (Amber Kuo) and Yijia (Ivy Chen). Ni’s father, rich businessman Lu (Doze Niu), is hooked up with the beautiful and unhappy Zoe (Shu Qi). Zoe has a fling with Mark (Mark Chao), who falls for China real estate agent Xiaoye (Zhao Wei). Eventually, an improbable romance develops between Zoe and Ni’s mechanic brother Kuan (Ethan Juan).
The opening montage is set to Taiwanese singer Hebe Tien’s Love!. The song, about a daisy chain of relationships ending in a failure to connect, sets up the film perfectly: “I love you, you love her, she loves her, she loves him/You love me, I love him, He loves him, He loves her.”
As if illustrating the song’s lyrics, director Doze Niu delivers a beautifully fluid tracking shot. The camera follows one character then another, quickly establishing the major players and their relationships with one another in one succinct take. Someone has been taking notes from American auteur Robert Altman.
With multiple storylines and a cast that is easy on the eyes, Niu has put together a film that has something for everyone. For youthful drama, there is the classic love triangle between two friends and a man, which is complicated by an unexpected pregnancy. Eddie Peng and Ivy Chen, previously paired in the romance Hear Me (2009), play friends who have to deal with the fallout of their one-night stand. Meanwhile, Amber Kuo’s Ni has to deal with her insecurities and pain over the betrayal of her boyfriend and best friend.
What could have been melodrama is handled with a light touch and bolstered by Peng’s winningly earnest Kai and the somewhat unexpected resolution.
Mark Chao and Zhao Wei are unconvincing as Mark and Xiaoye, bickering rivals eventually brought together by her cute little boy who is desperately looking for a father figure. This leaves the adorable five-year-old Lin Muran to steal the scene every time he appears.
The role of jaded socialite Zoe is a tad too familiar for Shu Qi. Thankfully, there is not too much wallowing in the ennui and unhappiness of a woman who has relationships with three different men.
And there is a tenderness to the tentative romance between Zoe and the sweet, stuttering Kuan, played by Ethan Juan in a reunion with his Monga director Niu.
For both Monga alumni, Love is a certainly a departure. Kuan cannot be more different from the macho and tragic Monk Juan played in the hit gangster drama of 2010, and Niu has certainly demonstrated his versatility as a film-maker with two such different films back-to-back.
The only question is whether audiences will embrace this as much as they did Monga.
(ST)
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Moneyball
Bennett Miller
The story: Brad Pitt plays Billy Beane, a general manager who is trying to put together a winning baseball team with a far smaller budget compared to illustrious teams such as the New York Yankees. He is helped by Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), a Yale economics graduate with radical ideas about how to assess a player’s value.
Can Brad Pitt act?
After his turn as a sexy drifter in the road movie Thelma & Louise (1991) catapulted him to fame, the American actor seemed to fight against his pretty boy looks in order to be taken seriously.
Being anointed Sexiest Man Alive by People magazine in 1995 and 2000 probably did not help his cause, but these surely did: an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor in the sci-fi flick 12 Monkeys (1995) and another for Best Actor as a man who ages in reverse in The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button (2008).
In the role of the mercurial Billy Beane, he has a second Best Actor Oscar nod, a reward for a low-key naturalistic performance when he could have been merrily chewing up scenery as a man who is not averse to flinging a chair in a moment of great frustration.
That is not to say that Pitt gives a subdued reading here. Given that the bestselling book by Michael Lewis is full of extended discussions about baseball and player statistics, it could have been a deadly dull affair, particularly for non-
baseball fans. But the screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin brings the characters alive.
Pitt imbues Beane with a certain physicality to his movements – be it munching snacks or striding down a hallway – that makes sense for a character who was a former ballplayer and also adds a sense of momentum and interest to the proceedings.
While his performance as the strict father in Terrence Malick’s polarising The Tree Of Life (2011) was not recognised at the Oscars, the acting range demonstrated by Pitt was doubtless noted by the Academy.
Also demonstrating range is director Bennett Miller, of acclaimed biopic Capote (2005), who finds a way to make a possibly arcane story about baseball statistics engaging and even compelling.
He deserves further credit for casting Judd Apatow alumnus Jonah Hill in the non-comedic role of a timid statistician, which plays off nicely against Pitt’s more earthy Beane.
Statistics aside, Moneyball is of course the universal tale of underdogs silencing the naysayers.
In this instance, Beane and Brand shake up the notion that baseball management is not a science, and use computer-generated analysis to assess players.
The point that one should have a clear-eyed view of baseball instead of a woolly and romantic one is repeatedly made by Beane. Yet in a poignant little twist at the end, the film shows that the baseball diamond is also a field of dreams for Beane.
(ST)
Bennett Miller
The story: Brad Pitt plays Billy Beane, a general manager who is trying to put together a winning baseball team with a far smaller budget compared to illustrious teams such as the New York Yankees. He is helped by Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), a Yale economics graduate with radical ideas about how to assess a player’s value.
Can Brad Pitt act?
After his turn as a sexy drifter in the road movie Thelma & Louise (1991) catapulted him to fame, the American actor seemed to fight against his pretty boy looks in order to be taken seriously.
Being anointed Sexiest Man Alive by People magazine in 1995 and 2000 probably did not help his cause, but these surely did: an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor in the sci-fi flick 12 Monkeys (1995) and another for Best Actor as a man who ages in reverse in The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button (2008).
In the role of the mercurial Billy Beane, he has a second Best Actor Oscar nod, a reward for a low-key naturalistic performance when he could have been merrily chewing up scenery as a man who is not averse to flinging a chair in a moment of great frustration.
That is not to say that Pitt gives a subdued reading here. Given that the bestselling book by Michael Lewis is full of extended discussions about baseball and player statistics, it could have been a deadly dull affair, particularly for non-
baseball fans. But the screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin brings the characters alive.
Pitt imbues Beane with a certain physicality to his movements – be it munching snacks or striding down a hallway – that makes sense for a character who was a former ballplayer and also adds a sense of momentum and interest to the proceedings.
While his performance as the strict father in Terrence Malick’s polarising The Tree Of Life (2011) was not recognised at the Oscars, the acting range demonstrated by Pitt was doubtless noted by the Academy.
Also demonstrating range is director Bennett Miller, of acclaimed biopic Capote (2005), who finds a way to make a possibly arcane story about baseball statistics engaging and even compelling.
He deserves further credit for casting Judd Apatow alumnus Jonah Hill in the non-comedic role of a timid statistician, which plays off nicely against Pitt’s more earthy Beane.
Statistics aside, Moneyball is of course the universal tale of underdogs silencing the naysayers.
In this instance, Beane and Brand shake up the notion that baseball management is not a science, and use computer-generated analysis to assess players.
The point that one should have a clear-eyed view of baseball instead of a woolly and romantic one is repeatedly made by Beane. Yet in a poignant little twist at the end, the film shows that the baseball diamond is also a field of dreams for Beane.
(ST)
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Young
Jeno Liu
Chinese singer Liu Liyang has a strong and clear voice, but it is a little presumptuous of her to take on indie stalwarts sodagreen’s Summer Summer or feted singer Eason Chan’s The Whole World Has Insomnia.
Somewhat disappointingly, the alumnus of the 2006 season of the Super Girls talent show – now called Jeno in English instead of Jade – has opted to do an album of mostly covers.
What’s more, she offers nothing new with her interpretations.
Let Go is missing that angsty emotional reading that Sam Lee gave it.
Plain White T’s Let Me Take You There and Ladyhawke’s My Delirium are unexpected but not revelatory.
It is the two original tracks here, with lyrics by Liu, that leave an impression.
Opener Journey is an indie rock number that reminds one of Taiwanese singer-songwriter Faith Yang while About Love is an appealing radio-friendly hit.
She sings: “People say that when you fall in love, the one who’s serious first won’t win/The one we fall for always loves himself more.”
For an audience to fall in love with a singer, though, the singer has to be serious first.
Dance
Lollipop F
With South Korean dance-pop fever still raging, little wonder that Taiwanese boyband Lollipop F want a piece of the action as well.
Last August, the quartet were invited to take part in South Korean television station SBS’s hit variety show Star King, where they got the chance to sing and dance off against popular megagroup Super Junior.
They followed that up with their second album Dance.
The standouts here are the title number with its refrain of “Let’s just dance dance dance dance tonite tonite”, Magic and Yo Yo – these are the tracks most likely to get you moving.
This is agreeable, disposable stuff and it had the boys dancing to the top of the G-music album chart in Taiwan.
(ST)
Jeno Liu
Chinese singer Liu Liyang has a strong and clear voice, but it is a little presumptuous of her to take on indie stalwarts sodagreen’s Summer Summer or feted singer Eason Chan’s The Whole World Has Insomnia.
Somewhat disappointingly, the alumnus of the 2006 season of the Super Girls talent show – now called Jeno in English instead of Jade – has opted to do an album of mostly covers.
What’s more, she offers nothing new with her interpretations.
Let Go is missing that angsty emotional reading that Sam Lee gave it.
Plain White T’s Let Me Take You There and Ladyhawke’s My Delirium are unexpected but not revelatory.
It is the two original tracks here, with lyrics by Liu, that leave an impression.
Opener Journey is an indie rock number that reminds one of Taiwanese singer-songwriter Faith Yang while About Love is an appealing radio-friendly hit.
She sings: “People say that when you fall in love, the one who’s serious first won’t win/The one we fall for always loves himself more.”
For an audience to fall in love with a singer, though, the singer has to be serious first.
Dance
Lollipop F
With South Korean dance-pop fever still raging, little wonder that Taiwanese boyband Lollipop F want a piece of the action as well.
Last August, the quartet were invited to take part in South Korean television station SBS’s hit variety show Star King, where they got the chance to sing and dance off against popular megagroup Super Junior.
They followed that up with their second album Dance.
The standouts here are the title number with its refrain of “Let’s just dance dance dance dance tonite tonite”, Magic and Yo Yo – these are the tracks most likely to get you moving.
This is agreeable, disposable stuff and it had the boys dancing to the top of the G-music album chart in Taiwan.
(ST)
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
The Wedding Diary
Adrian Teh
Even if you are not married, you would be familiar with at least one facet of the getting-hitched ritual – the wedding banquet.
The movie tries to draw you in by having Malaysian singer-actor A-niu (as Malaysian engineer Daniel working in Singapore) lament about his way-over-budget wedding.
But so what? Who cares when this is a wedding between two characters we barely know.
The romance between Daniel and Tina (Elanne Kwong) is unconvincing and the poor-boy-rich-girl set-up is merely an excuse to create some irritating drama and tension.
When Daniel tries to scrounge up cash for the dinner he cannot afford, he does the cliched and stupid thing by gambling it away at the casino.
It takes an accident in the last act to bring everyone together – except, suddenly, we seem to be watching a watch advertisement, one complete with sepia-toned flashbacks.
If you want to tell a tale about a watch, make it outrageously interesting the way Quentin Tarantino did in Pulp Fiction (1994). Don’t use it as an opportunity for outrageous product placement. Otherwise, the audience will just end up watching the clock.
(ST)
Adrian Teh
Even if you are not married, you would be familiar with at least one facet of the getting-hitched ritual – the wedding banquet.
The movie tries to draw you in by having Malaysian singer-actor A-niu (as Malaysian engineer Daniel working in Singapore) lament about his way-over-budget wedding.
But so what? Who cares when this is a wedding between two characters we barely know.
The romance between Daniel and Tina (Elanne Kwong) is unconvincing and the poor-boy-rich-girl set-up is merely an excuse to create some irritating drama and tension.
When Daniel tries to scrounge up cash for the dinner he cannot afford, he does the cliched and stupid thing by gambling it away at the casino.
It takes an accident in the last act to bring everyone together – except, suddenly, we seem to be watching a watch advertisement, one complete with sepia-toned flashbacks.
If you want to tell a tale about a watch, make it outrageously interesting the way Quentin Tarantino did in Pulp Fiction (1994). Don’t use it as an opportunity for outrageous product placement. Otherwise, the audience will just end up watching the clock.
(ST)
Romancing In Thin Air
Johnnie To
The story: Movie idol Michael (Louis Koo) gets dumped at the altar. He ends up drunk and depressed at a guesthouse in Yunnan run by Sue (Sammi Cheng). It just so happens that she used to be a big fan of his. But there is nothing like a missing, presumed dead, husband who gets in the way.
The next time you feel light-headed at high altitudes, remember, it could be love – or it could just be oxygen deprivation.
After all, this would be an equally, if not more, compelling explanation for why Michael and Sue get together since the vibe between the two stars is more friendly than lovey-dovey.
Indeed, Cheng shares more chemistry with China’s Li Guangjie, who plays the missing-in-action husband Tian.
The Koo-Cheng pairing serves to illustrate the elusive nature of on-screen chemistry. Just because you put two big-name stars together, it does not mean that sparks will fly.
The film does offer little pleasures though, from the striking scenery of Shangri-La in Yunnan to the comic relief from the supporting cast, which includes 1970s screen idol Tien Niu as a motherly doctor.
In one scene with a stalled truck, she even gets to yell out: “I’m back, I never left!”
It is also a pleasure listening to characters speak in both Mandarin and Cantonese, in whichever language is logical, rather than having one dubbed language for the entire film.
Dante Lam’s The Viral Factor (2012) also featured a polyglot of tongues. If this signals a new trend, it is indeed a welcome one.
Since this is a romance, though, the movie has to focus on Michael and Sue and why they cannot be together.
There is a very long flashback about how Sue and Tian fell for each together and how he ended up missing in the snowy woods.
When Michael makes a movie based on Tian’s disappearance, there is a long scene of Sue watching it in a cinema. The effect is not as moving as Hong Kong film-maker Johnnie To thinks.
Instead, it is rather distancing watching Sue watching a film.
We are supposed to be moved by the impossibility of the romance between Sue and Michael as she cannot forget her husband, but Romancing In Thin Air never achieves the gravitas of tragedy.
While not as dire as his last romance outing Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (2011, also starring Koo with Daniel Wu and Terence Yin), this is still far from To’s best work.
(ST)
Johnnie To
The story: Movie idol Michael (Louis Koo) gets dumped at the altar. He ends up drunk and depressed at a guesthouse in Yunnan run by Sue (Sammi Cheng). It just so happens that she used to be a big fan of his. But there is nothing like a missing, presumed dead, husband who gets in the way.
The next time you feel light-headed at high altitudes, remember, it could be love – or it could just be oxygen deprivation.
After all, this would be an equally, if not more, compelling explanation for why Michael and Sue get together since the vibe between the two stars is more friendly than lovey-dovey.
Indeed, Cheng shares more chemistry with China’s Li Guangjie, who plays the missing-in-action husband Tian.
The Koo-Cheng pairing serves to illustrate the elusive nature of on-screen chemistry. Just because you put two big-name stars together, it does not mean that sparks will fly.
The film does offer little pleasures though, from the striking scenery of Shangri-La in Yunnan to the comic relief from the supporting cast, which includes 1970s screen idol Tien Niu as a motherly doctor.
In one scene with a stalled truck, she even gets to yell out: “I’m back, I never left!”
It is also a pleasure listening to characters speak in both Mandarin and Cantonese, in whichever language is logical, rather than having one dubbed language for the entire film.
Dante Lam’s The Viral Factor (2012) also featured a polyglot of tongues. If this signals a new trend, it is indeed a welcome one.
Since this is a romance, though, the movie has to focus on Michael and Sue and why they cannot be together.
There is a very long flashback about how Sue and Tian fell for each together and how he ended up missing in the snowy woods.
When Michael makes a movie based on Tian’s disappearance, there is a long scene of Sue watching it in a cinema. The effect is not as moving as Hong Kong film-maker Johnnie To thinks.
Instead, it is rather distancing watching Sue watching a film.
We are supposed to be moved by the impossibility of the romance between Sue and Michael as she cannot forget her husband, but Romancing In Thin Air never achieves the gravitas of tragedy.
While not as dire as his last romance outing Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (2011, also starring Koo with Daniel Wu and Terence Yin), this is still far from To’s best work.
(ST)
Tuesday, February 07, 2012
in::music – Serene Koong
Esplanade Recital Studio/Sunday
Just because you can sing and have recorded a promising debut album does not automatically make you an engaging live performer.
Local singer-songwriter Serene Koong’s inexperience in a live setting showed at her Huayi concert. Her nerves were palpable at the start and her energy flagged over the 100-minute set before a near-capacity crowd.
And, really, there was no need for her to say something about her journey as a singer-songwriter after almost every song. It breaks the rhythm of the show, instead of letting the songs speak for themselves.
The good news is that her powerful pipes generally sounded good as she took on a range of material – songs from her 2010 debut 55:38:7 and covers of songs such as Stefanie Sun’s I’m Not Sad, Tanya Chua’s If You See Him and David Tao’s Airport In 10:30.
Thankfully, she had also ditched the Lolita-esque styling on her CD for a more elegant and sophisticated look in a black strapless dress and high heels.
Backed by five musicians on guitar, bass, cello, keyboard and drums, she belted out ballads such as Knowing, theme song for the MediaCorp drama New Beginnings, the R&B-inflected Voodoo Doll as well as the jaunty Charlie.
The effervescent duet Lala – with Malaysian singer-songwriter Wu Jiahui on the album – worked as a perky solo number, and the track To:, her duet with Hong Kong singer-actor Jaycee Chan, was performed as a mash-up with Chang Yu-sheng’s Miss You Everyday, as Koong played the piano.
She also showcased some new material including the opening ballad Freedom and the English number One Last Try.
While the light touch of whimsy on her record was missing here, one hopes that the new album will have room for that side of Koong.
Towards the end, her performance perked up again, thanks to a few uptempo numbers and a warmed-up Koong cutting loose with some moves.
Perhaps with more experience under her belt, her future gigs will groove along from start to finish.
(ST)
Esplanade Recital Studio/Sunday
Just because you can sing and have recorded a promising debut album does not automatically make you an engaging live performer.
Local singer-songwriter Serene Koong’s inexperience in a live setting showed at her Huayi concert. Her nerves were palpable at the start and her energy flagged over the 100-minute set before a near-capacity crowd.
And, really, there was no need for her to say something about her journey as a singer-songwriter after almost every song. It breaks the rhythm of the show, instead of letting the songs speak for themselves.
The good news is that her powerful pipes generally sounded good as she took on a range of material – songs from her 2010 debut 55:38:7 and covers of songs such as Stefanie Sun’s I’m Not Sad, Tanya Chua’s If You See Him and David Tao’s Airport In 10:30.
Thankfully, she had also ditched the Lolita-esque styling on her CD for a more elegant and sophisticated look in a black strapless dress and high heels.
Backed by five musicians on guitar, bass, cello, keyboard and drums, she belted out ballads such as Knowing, theme song for the MediaCorp drama New Beginnings, the R&B-inflected Voodoo Doll as well as the jaunty Charlie.
The effervescent duet Lala – with Malaysian singer-songwriter Wu Jiahui on the album – worked as a perky solo number, and the track To:, her duet with Hong Kong singer-actor Jaycee Chan, was performed as a mash-up with Chang Yu-sheng’s Miss You Everyday, as Koong played the piano.
She also showcased some new material including the opening ballad Freedom and the English number One Last Try.
While the light touch of whimsy on her record was missing here, one hopes that the new album will have room for that side of Koong.
Towards the end, her performance perked up again, thanks to a few uptempo numbers and a warmed-up Koong cutting loose with some moves.
Perhaps with more experience under her belt, her future gigs will groove along from start to finish.
(ST)
Friday, February 03, 2012
Second Round
Mayday
Mayday fans have doomsday theorists to thank for the band’s eighth album.
Whether you believe or not in the apocalypse said to be upon us this year, because of the end of the ancient Mayan calendar, it has inspired the Taiwanese rockers on their latest release.
Not quite sure what to make of the prediction, the band have released two versions of the album, with different artwork and track sequences.
The Now Here version ends with OAOA (Now Is Forever) – OAOA being a baby’s cry and pointing to a hopeful future. The darker No Where version ends with a warning in the form of the track Some Things If We Don’t Do Now We’ll Never Do.
This mouthful of a track is a definite standout and works as a contemplation on mortality and legacy.
Composed by band leader Monster, with lyrics by lead singer Ashin, the song urges: “Imagine your grandsons, granddaughters, their eyes shining bright/Waiting for you to open your mouth, waiting for you to speak of your most glorious adventure”.
Noah’s Ark is a more direct response to the world ending as Ashin questions: “If you have to say goodbye, if you have to say goodbye to everything/If you could make just one call, who would you call”.
Starry Starry Night, meanwhile, is a classic Mayday-style ballad with poignant lyrics and a soaring chorus: “That year we gazed at the starry night, there were so many glittery dreams/Thought happiness would last forever, like the unchanging starry night accompanying me”.
Be it eternity or finality, Mayday want to be there for you.
Dr. Q
Quack Wu
Then: One Million Star alumnus. Now: Dr. Q.
Taiwan’s Quack Wu, who was on the popular Taiwanese TV singing contest in 2007, ducks the ignoble fate of anonymity with his striking alter-ego.
With his gravity-defying coiffure and cheery get-ups, Dr. Q looks like a human cartoon.
And the song En Ma, an interjection, is on the right track with its playful retro vibe and colourful Minnan colloquialisms.
The other number that clearly belongs here is the light-hearted duet Wishes Convenience Store between Wu and female singer Shorty Yuan.
The rest of the album, alas, is a more conventional mix of ballads and uptempo material that feels out of sorts for Dr. Q.
This might have worked better as a concept EP than a muddled full-fledged album. As it is now, it is neither fish nor fowl.
(ST)
Mayday
Mayday fans have doomsday theorists to thank for the band’s eighth album.
Whether you believe or not in the apocalypse said to be upon us this year, because of the end of the ancient Mayan calendar, it has inspired the Taiwanese rockers on their latest release.
Not quite sure what to make of the prediction, the band have released two versions of the album, with different artwork and track sequences.
The Now Here version ends with OAOA (Now Is Forever) – OAOA being a baby’s cry and pointing to a hopeful future. The darker No Where version ends with a warning in the form of the track Some Things If We Don’t Do Now We’ll Never Do.
This mouthful of a track is a definite standout and works as a contemplation on mortality and legacy.
Composed by band leader Monster, with lyrics by lead singer Ashin, the song urges: “Imagine your grandsons, granddaughters, their eyes shining bright/Waiting for you to open your mouth, waiting for you to speak of your most glorious adventure”.
Noah’s Ark is a more direct response to the world ending as Ashin questions: “If you have to say goodbye, if you have to say goodbye to everything/If you could make just one call, who would you call”.
Starry Starry Night, meanwhile, is a classic Mayday-style ballad with poignant lyrics and a soaring chorus: “That year we gazed at the starry night, there were so many glittery dreams/Thought happiness would last forever, like the unchanging starry night accompanying me”.
Be it eternity or finality, Mayday want to be there for you.
Dr. Q
Quack Wu
Then: One Million Star alumnus. Now: Dr. Q.
Taiwan’s Quack Wu, who was on the popular Taiwanese TV singing contest in 2007, ducks the ignoble fate of anonymity with his striking alter-ego.
With his gravity-defying coiffure and cheery get-ups, Dr. Q looks like a human cartoon.
And the song En Ma, an interjection, is on the right track with its playful retro vibe and colourful Minnan colloquialisms.
The other number that clearly belongs here is the light-hearted duet Wishes Convenience Store between Wu and female singer Shorty Yuan.
The rest of the album, alas, is a more conventional mix of ballads and uptempo material that feels out of sorts for Dr. Q.
This might have worked better as a concept EP than a muddled full-fledged album. As it is now, it is neither fish nor fowl.
(ST)
Thursday, February 02, 2012
Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts 2012
in::music – Summer Lei + BIT Sound
Esplanade Recital Studio/Sunday
in::music – Waa Wei
Esplanade Recital Studio/Monday
Summer Lei and Waa Wei are singer- songwriters from Taiwan. But that was about the only thing that their two performances seemed to have in common.
While Lei offered a low-key introspective gig in which she happily stayed out of the spotlight at times, Wei put on a charismatic show where she held one’s attention throughout.
Thematically, Lei’s 90-minute concert was tightly linked to the gentle drama about an unusual cafe, Taipei Exchanges (2010). For her work on the soundtrack, she won the Golden Melody Award for Best Instrumental Album Producer as well as the Golden Horse Award for Best Original Song for the title track.
On the record, she worked with a few musicians who later took on the moniker BIT Sound, named for Brick Image Team (BIT), the production company behind the film.
On Sunday, Lei, bespectacled and dressed simply in a grey top over black leggings, performed songs and instrumental tracks from the film, supported by three musicians on keyboard, guitar and double bass. From time to time, she would play the melodica.
To further draw the audience into the movie, she also had members of the sold-out audience say out loud their individual responses to the question “What’s the thing of greatest value in your heart?”. This was right out of a scene in the film in which writer-director Hsiao Ya-chuan asked the same question of ordinary Taiwanese.
Of course, Lei also performed her own solo work, including The Light Of Darkness, new song The Sounds I Don’t Want To Forget and the nostalgic My 80s, which was poignantly accompanied by images of people holding up photographs of themselves in the 1980s.
While her speaking voice is like mellow honey, she tends to sing in a breathy higher register. It is not the most polished vocal performance but there is an honesty in that raw and unvarnished set of pipes that is both brave and moving.
She is the kind of songwriter who wonders about the things that old houses have seen and then writes a song (Shining Houses) to give them a voice.
If Lei is about introspection, then Wei is about emotion.
Dressed all in black, the former lead vocalist of indie band Natural Q performs with fetching drama, a wonderful variety of expressions scrunching her face as she treats her voice like an instrument.
She can go from a babyish coo to a rock-worthy howl, traversing vulnerable tenderness and comic amusement in between. It can sometimes seem a little excessive on record but that sense of playfulness works well live.
Even better, there is an elusive quality to her voice that cannot be pinned down, lending some mystery and excitement.
Fittingly, her material runs the gamut from the tremulous ballad Naked In The Dark to the comic vaudeville piece My Father’s Pen. Above all, it was her rock side the sold-out crowd saw most often on tracks such as Roarrrr and the rousingly raucous Close Friends, complete with accompaniment from the suona, or Chinese trumpet.
Throughout her 90-minute show, she chatted happily about her upcoming solo concert in Taipei, a handwritten card she received from a fan and that she took so long to emerge for the encore because her fake eyelashes had dropped off.
She also shared that every time she sings and writes, the thought crosses her mind that if she can console others with her music, then she in turn can be consoled as well.
Like Lei, she produces music that is a direct distillation of her thoughts and personality, with hardly any regard for what is commercial or popular.
Given that her latest album, No Crying (2011), features Us, which Lei composed and wrote, it was a missed opportunity that they did not share the stage while they were here for the same festival. With their chalk and cheese performing styles, a live collaboration would have been most intriguing.
(ST)
in::music – Summer Lei + BIT Sound
Esplanade Recital Studio/Sunday
in::music – Waa Wei
Esplanade Recital Studio/Monday
Summer Lei and Waa Wei are singer- songwriters from Taiwan. But that was about the only thing that their two performances seemed to have in common.
While Lei offered a low-key introspective gig in which she happily stayed out of the spotlight at times, Wei put on a charismatic show where she held one’s attention throughout.
Thematically, Lei’s 90-minute concert was tightly linked to the gentle drama about an unusual cafe, Taipei Exchanges (2010). For her work on the soundtrack, she won the Golden Melody Award for Best Instrumental Album Producer as well as the Golden Horse Award for Best Original Song for the title track.
On the record, she worked with a few musicians who later took on the moniker BIT Sound, named for Brick Image Team (BIT), the production company behind the film.
On Sunday, Lei, bespectacled and dressed simply in a grey top over black leggings, performed songs and instrumental tracks from the film, supported by three musicians on keyboard, guitar and double bass. From time to time, she would play the melodica.
To further draw the audience into the movie, she also had members of the sold-out audience say out loud their individual responses to the question “What’s the thing of greatest value in your heart?”. This was right out of a scene in the film in which writer-director Hsiao Ya-chuan asked the same question of ordinary Taiwanese.
Of course, Lei also performed her own solo work, including The Light Of Darkness, new song The Sounds I Don’t Want To Forget and the nostalgic My 80s, which was poignantly accompanied by images of people holding up photographs of themselves in the 1980s.
While her speaking voice is like mellow honey, she tends to sing in a breathy higher register. It is not the most polished vocal performance but there is an honesty in that raw and unvarnished set of pipes that is both brave and moving.
She is the kind of songwriter who wonders about the things that old houses have seen and then writes a song (Shining Houses) to give them a voice.
If Lei is about introspection, then Wei is about emotion.
Dressed all in black, the former lead vocalist of indie band Natural Q performs with fetching drama, a wonderful variety of expressions scrunching her face as she treats her voice like an instrument.
She can go from a babyish coo to a rock-worthy howl, traversing vulnerable tenderness and comic amusement in between. It can sometimes seem a little excessive on record but that sense of playfulness works well live.
Even better, there is an elusive quality to her voice that cannot be pinned down, lending some mystery and excitement.
Fittingly, her material runs the gamut from the tremulous ballad Naked In The Dark to the comic vaudeville piece My Father’s Pen. Above all, it was her rock side the sold-out crowd saw most often on tracks such as Roarrrr and the rousingly raucous Close Friends, complete with accompaniment from the suona, or Chinese trumpet.
Throughout her 90-minute show, she chatted happily about her upcoming solo concert in Taipei, a handwritten card she received from a fan and that she took so long to emerge for the encore because her fake eyelashes had dropped off.
She also shared that every time she sings and writes, the thought crosses her mind that if she can console others with her music, then she in turn can be consoled as well.
Like Lei, she produces music that is a direct distillation of her thoughts and personality, with hardly any regard for what is commercial or popular.
Given that her latest album, No Crying (2011), features Us, which Lei composed and wrote, it was a missed opportunity that they did not share the stage while they were here for the same festival. With their chalk and cheese performing styles, a live collaboration would have been most intriguing.
(ST)
Underworld: Awakening
Mans Marlind, Bjorn Stein
The story: Vampire Selene (Kate Beckinsale) emerges from a deep-freeze state to discover that 12 years have passed since her capture by humans. She goes in search of her vampire-Lycan hybrid lover and finds instead a young girl, Subject 2 (India Eisley), with whom she has a strong affinity. Hunted by the Lycan werewolves, Selene is helped by the vampire David (Theo James) and detective Sebastian (Michael Ealy).
This is entry No. 4 in the fantasy series about vampires and werewolves, following Underworld (2003), Underworld: Evolution (2006) and the prequel Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans (2009).
It means that there is a complicated back story about the enmity between the vampires and werewolves, the role played by Selene as well as her relationship with the unique vampire-Lycan hybrid Michael Corvin. Scott Speedman, from television’s Felicity (1998-2002), took on the role in the first two Underworld films but did not return for Awakening.
And that is before we mention the sorry state of vampires and the shadowy medical corporation holding Selene captive and conducting tests on Subject 2 in this instalment.
But even if you are a newcomer to the franchise, not to worry. The main elements of the film can be crunched down to two things: English actress Kate Beckinsale in a skintight leather body sheath, and her character Selene coolly taking down anyone and anything who gets in her way with an array of firearms.
For those who really need to know what is going on, there is a helpful summary at the beginning of the film to get you up to speed.
The action bits are entertaining enough but the movie sags a little whenever it goes into talky drama mode.
While the sight of Beckinsale in a tight outfit is enough for some fans, others have complained about her one-note performance as the wooden Selene.
There is a response of sorts to the criticism in the film. Eve, or Subject 2, thinks that Selene is cold and unfeeling and Selene responds that she is not cold-hearted, but rather, broken-hearted over the disappearance of her lover. Still, emotions can be hard to make out when everything is delivered in a colourless monotone by Beckinsale.
The film works better when it has some fun with Selene as a bada** mouthing killer lines. When she dangles a baddie from a building, he begs for his life saying that he was the one who had let her go from the medical facility. She drops him and then quips drily: “Now we’re even.”
The colour palette of the film is fairly one-note as well and Awakening is largely cloaked in stylish blacks and greys. What is unintentionally amusing is the make-up for Subject 2 when she transforms into a vampire – India Eisley ends up looking like a possessed child from some exorcism flick.
But like Selene herself who seems impervious to harm, the series itself has continued to survive in the face of criticisms and brickbats.
So will there be another entry in this franchise? Count on it.
(ST)
Mans Marlind, Bjorn Stein
The story: Vampire Selene (Kate Beckinsale) emerges from a deep-freeze state to discover that 12 years have passed since her capture by humans. She goes in search of her vampire-Lycan hybrid lover and finds instead a young girl, Subject 2 (India Eisley), with whom she has a strong affinity. Hunted by the Lycan werewolves, Selene is helped by the vampire David (Theo James) and detective Sebastian (Michael Ealy).
This is entry No. 4 in the fantasy series about vampires and werewolves, following Underworld (2003), Underworld: Evolution (2006) and the prequel Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans (2009).
It means that there is a complicated back story about the enmity between the vampires and werewolves, the role played by Selene as well as her relationship with the unique vampire-Lycan hybrid Michael Corvin. Scott Speedman, from television’s Felicity (1998-2002), took on the role in the first two Underworld films but did not return for Awakening.
And that is before we mention the sorry state of vampires and the shadowy medical corporation holding Selene captive and conducting tests on Subject 2 in this instalment.
But even if you are a newcomer to the franchise, not to worry. The main elements of the film can be crunched down to two things: English actress Kate Beckinsale in a skintight leather body sheath, and her character Selene coolly taking down anyone and anything who gets in her way with an array of firearms.
For those who really need to know what is going on, there is a helpful summary at the beginning of the film to get you up to speed.
The action bits are entertaining enough but the movie sags a little whenever it goes into talky drama mode.
While the sight of Beckinsale in a tight outfit is enough for some fans, others have complained about her one-note performance as the wooden Selene.
There is a response of sorts to the criticism in the film. Eve, or Subject 2, thinks that Selene is cold and unfeeling and Selene responds that she is not cold-hearted, but rather, broken-hearted over the disappearance of her lover. Still, emotions can be hard to make out when everything is delivered in a colourless monotone by Beckinsale.
The film works better when it has some fun with Selene as a bada** mouthing killer lines. When she dangles a baddie from a building, he begs for his life saying that he was the one who had let her go from the medical facility. She drops him and then quips drily: “Now we’re even.”
The colour palette of the film is fairly one-note as well and Awakening is largely cloaked in stylish blacks and greys. What is unintentionally amusing is the make-up for Subject 2 when she transforms into a vampire – India Eisley ends up looking like a possessed child from some exorcism flick.
But like Selene herself who seems impervious to harm, the series itself has continued to survive in the face of criticisms and brickbats.
So will there be another entry in this franchise? Count on it.
(ST)
Friday, January 27, 2012
A Song To Remember
Various artists
Sing It Out Of Love
Tanya Chua
Just Say So
Tanya Chua
Lost N Found
JJ Lin
The local music scene’s biggest names have recently released new works, including a welcome return by Mavis Hee.
Apart from appearing occasionally to sing a song or two at concerts, she has been keeping a low profile after a public meltdown in a hotel in 2006.
Her voice is still a richly soothing balm after all these years. While she has not released a new studio album since 2002’s Spreading, there is no question that she is the star of the soundtrack to the Media- Corp drama A Song To Remember.
She lends her pipes to four songs here including the wistful title track, the tender Your Tears and the gorgeous ballad Remembrance (Travelling Together).
China’s Jade Liu and Taiwan’s Ring Hsu perform other tracks which evoke the drama’s music hall setting in Singapore in the 1930s and 1940s.
While Hee’s output has been sporadic, singer-songwriter Tanya Chua has to be the most hardworking artist around – she released a Mandarin and an English album on the same day.
Sing It Out Of Love is her eighth Mandopop release and features her trademark ballads about love sensitively interpreted in that lightly husky voice.
She states in the liner notes, though: “I don’t want this to be just a sad love ballads album.”
While she seemed to be perpetually unlucky in love on her previous albums, there is a more optimistic vibe to the songs this time around. She sings on Adorable: “On my own, life actually has more possibilities.”
Musically, the jaunty Don’t Bother Me makes for a nice change of pace as she sings drolly about a day in which everything goes wrong: “Black clouds, black clouds, quick go away/Feels like you are challenging my optimism.”
There is also more on her mind than romantic love as the title track is about her father who died last year. On it, she sings about cherishing loved ones: “Life has too many regrets, every minute and second, I will hold on tightly/Speaking of love, when you need me by your side/Let’s sing it out of love.”
But for those who have been her fans since her first release, the English- language Bored (1997), Just Say So could well be the more eagerly awaited album.
While she works with lyricists for hire on her Mandarin discs, it is all Tanya on her English records. And it is clear that she is right at home making music in English.
Just Say So has a looser and more laidback groove to it compared to Sing It Out Of Love. It also feels a little tighter as it charts the trajectory of a relationship from desire to love to break-up.
One gets to see a sexier Chua here as she sings about physical chemistry on Let’s Get Together: “Bet your lips are sweet/When you kiss me deep.” While on the elegiac Carousel, she mourns the end of a relationship: “Oh this love/Took a thousand rides/On a big spinning carousel/We took our final ride on the carousel.”
The lyrics can sometimes seem a little plain and even awkward – “To find some unordinary words” in Back Into My Life – but the melodies, by turns sunny and doleful, and her evocative voice keep the album compelling.
Unfortunately, singer-songwriter JJ Lin’s debut album on his new record label Warner Music feels more safe than vital.
The first single Never Learn is a made-for-radio ballad with a soaring chorus: “Still haven’t learnt, to be a little more clever/Remember to protect myself, and tell some white lies when necessary.”
The album has done well in Taiwan, topping the G-Music album chart in its week of release.
But featuring China pianist Lang Lang on Variation 25: Clash Of The Souls just seems gimmicky. Also, We Together cannot quite trump previous hip urban tracks along the lines of X and Go! from Hundred Days (2009).
Good thing that Dear Friend, with barbed lyrics by Lin Xi, and Streets Of Old Shanghai, with its striking arrangement using traditional Chinese instruments, offer points of interest.
With his milestone 10th studio album looming, one hopes that Lin’s music journey takes more intriguing turns.
(ST)
Various artists
Sing It Out Of Love
Tanya Chua
Just Say So
Tanya Chua
Lost N Found
JJ Lin
The local music scene’s biggest names have recently released new works, including a welcome return by Mavis Hee.
Apart from appearing occasionally to sing a song or two at concerts, she has been keeping a low profile after a public meltdown in a hotel in 2006.
Her voice is still a richly soothing balm after all these years. While she has not released a new studio album since 2002’s Spreading, there is no question that she is the star of the soundtrack to the Media- Corp drama A Song To Remember.
She lends her pipes to four songs here including the wistful title track, the tender Your Tears and the gorgeous ballad Remembrance (Travelling Together).
China’s Jade Liu and Taiwan’s Ring Hsu perform other tracks which evoke the drama’s music hall setting in Singapore in the 1930s and 1940s.
While Hee’s output has been sporadic, singer-songwriter Tanya Chua has to be the most hardworking artist around – she released a Mandarin and an English album on the same day.
Sing It Out Of Love is her eighth Mandopop release and features her trademark ballads about love sensitively interpreted in that lightly husky voice.
She states in the liner notes, though: “I don’t want this to be just a sad love ballads album.”
While she seemed to be perpetually unlucky in love on her previous albums, there is a more optimistic vibe to the songs this time around. She sings on Adorable: “On my own, life actually has more possibilities.”
Musically, the jaunty Don’t Bother Me makes for a nice change of pace as she sings drolly about a day in which everything goes wrong: “Black clouds, black clouds, quick go away/Feels like you are challenging my optimism.”
There is also more on her mind than romantic love as the title track is about her father who died last year. On it, she sings about cherishing loved ones: “Life has too many regrets, every minute and second, I will hold on tightly/Speaking of love, when you need me by your side/Let’s sing it out of love.”
But for those who have been her fans since her first release, the English- language Bored (1997), Just Say So could well be the more eagerly awaited album.
While she works with lyricists for hire on her Mandarin discs, it is all Tanya on her English records. And it is clear that she is right at home making music in English.
Just Say So has a looser and more laidback groove to it compared to Sing It Out Of Love. It also feels a little tighter as it charts the trajectory of a relationship from desire to love to break-up.
One gets to see a sexier Chua here as she sings about physical chemistry on Let’s Get Together: “Bet your lips are sweet/When you kiss me deep.” While on the elegiac Carousel, she mourns the end of a relationship: “Oh this love/Took a thousand rides/On a big spinning carousel/We took our final ride on the carousel.”
The lyrics can sometimes seem a little plain and even awkward – “To find some unordinary words” in Back Into My Life – but the melodies, by turns sunny and doleful, and her evocative voice keep the album compelling.
Unfortunately, singer-songwriter JJ Lin’s debut album on his new record label Warner Music feels more safe than vital.
The first single Never Learn is a made-for-radio ballad with a soaring chorus: “Still haven’t learnt, to be a little more clever/Remember to protect myself, and tell some white lies when necessary.”
The album has done well in Taiwan, topping the G-Music album chart in its week of release.
But featuring China pianist Lang Lang on Variation 25: Clash Of The Souls just seems gimmicky. Also, We Together cannot quite trump previous hip urban tracks along the lines of X and Go! from Hundred Days (2009).
Good thing that Dear Friend, with barbed lyrics by Lin Xi, and Streets Of Old Shanghai, with its striking arrangement using traditional Chinese instruments, offer points of interest.
With his milestone 10th studio album looming, one hopes that Lin’s music journey takes more intriguing turns.
(ST)
Thursday, January 26, 2012
I Love Hong Kong 2012
Chung Shu Kai, Chin Kwok Wai
While last year’s I Love Hong Kong was an affectionate celebration of the ties that bind, this year’s follow-up is a more generic comedy with a mixed bag of jokes.
Of the cast from last year, Stanley Fung, Bosco Wong and Eric Tsang are among the few who return. Tsang plays the eager-to-please husband of a shrewish lawyer (Teresa Mo).
Her tomboyish younger sister (Denise Ho, looking as though she had just walked off the set of 2011’s Life Without Principle) is dating a fey salesman (Bosco Wong). The youngest brother (Luk Wing) is chasing a gorgeous girl.
Stanley Fung plays the curmudgeonly patriarch who manages to drive away his loved ones but, never fear, the theme of family togetherness will eventually prevail against the backdrop of the world possibly ending this year.
Look out for the sight gags of Tsang in a leotard, Ho and Wong made up to look like ghosts for their wedding pictures and a human domino chain toppling in a supermarket.
Best of all is a geriatric spoof of the hit Taiwanese youthful romance You Are The Apple Of My Eye (2011) as veterans Fung and Susan Siu gamely ham it up for yuks.
(ST)
Chung Shu Kai, Chin Kwok Wai
While last year’s I Love Hong Kong was an affectionate celebration of the ties that bind, this year’s follow-up is a more generic comedy with a mixed bag of jokes.
Of the cast from last year, Stanley Fung, Bosco Wong and Eric Tsang are among the few who return. Tsang plays the eager-to-please husband of a shrewish lawyer (Teresa Mo).
Her tomboyish younger sister (Denise Ho, looking as though she had just walked off the set of 2011’s Life Without Principle) is dating a fey salesman (Bosco Wong). The youngest brother (Luk Wing) is chasing a gorgeous girl.
Stanley Fung plays the curmudgeonly patriarch who manages to drive away his loved ones but, never fear, the theme of family togetherness will eventually prevail against the backdrop of the world possibly ending this year.
Look out for the sight gags of Tsang in a leotard, Ho and Wong made up to look like ghosts for their wedding pictures and a human domino chain toppling in a supermarket.
Best of all is a geriatric spoof of the hit Taiwanese youthful romance You Are The Apple Of My Eye (2011) as veterans Fung and Susan Siu gamely ham it up for yuks.
(ST)
One For The Money
Julie Anne Robinson
The story: Broke and jobless Stephanie Plum (Katherine Heigl) turns to bail enforcement to pay the bills. Even though she knows nothing about being a bounty hunter, she sets her sights on Joe Morelli (Jason O’Mara), a former vice cop who is wanted for murder. Along the way, she gets help from Ranger (Daniel Sunjata) in learning the ropes of her new profession. Based on the 1994 novel of the same name by Janet Evanovich.
Perhaps One For The Money is Katherine Heigl’s bid to break away from romantic comedies.
The actress, best known for her turn in the TV medical drama Grey’s Anatomy (she was in it from 2005 to 2010), has appeared in a string of them, including 27 Dresses (2008), Life As We Know It (2010) and New Year’s Eve (2011).
Maybe she wants to broaden her appeal. If so, she needs a better vehicle.
This film has some action, some comedy and some romantic sparks between Heigl and Jason O’Mara (from TV’s sci-fi adventure series Terra Nova).
Unfortunately, it is let down by a lazy ending which has major characters conveniently congregating in one location so the story can be neatly wrapped up with a bow on top.
The set-up here actually feels like a romantic comedy. It turns out that Morelli and Plum had a thing back in high school – they slept together and he later dumped her.
The dynamics of a small-town setting where everyone knows everyone else is one of the more enjoyable aspects of the film.
And it also makes the relationship between hunter and hunted more complicated, particularly when Plum finds out that the case against Morelli is not so simple.
Luckily for her, there is the cool and somewhat mysterious Ranger to get her out of tight spots at a moment’s notice.
Though he seems attracted to her, it is never quite clear why he is so eager to help out a competitor.
Since this is meant to be more than a romantic comedy, there is also the murder mystery part of things to get through and this is where the movie feels pedestrian.
With so many crime procedurals on the small screen, a big screen outing needs something extra to set it apart. Otherwise, why bother?
Novelist Evanovich has also penned Two For The Dough (1996) and Three To Get Deadly (1997) all the way to Explosive Eighteen (2011).
The book franchise may be thriving but as for hopes of a film series, one might say that the buck stops here.
(ST)
Julie Anne Robinson
The story: Broke and jobless Stephanie Plum (Katherine Heigl) turns to bail enforcement to pay the bills. Even though she knows nothing about being a bounty hunter, she sets her sights on Joe Morelli (Jason O’Mara), a former vice cop who is wanted for murder. Along the way, she gets help from Ranger (Daniel Sunjata) in learning the ropes of her new profession. Based on the 1994 novel of the same name by Janet Evanovich.
Perhaps One For The Money is Katherine Heigl’s bid to break away from romantic comedies.
The actress, best known for her turn in the TV medical drama Grey’s Anatomy (she was in it from 2005 to 2010), has appeared in a string of them, including 27 Dresses (2008), Life As We Know It (2010) and New Year’s Eve (2011).
Maybe she wants to broaden her appeal. If so, she needs a better vehicle.
This film has some action, some comedy and some romantic sparks between Heigl and Jason O’Mara (from TV’s sci-fi adventure series Terra Nova).
Unfortunately, it is let down by a lazy ending which has major characters conveniently congregating in one location so the story can be neatly wrapped up with a bow on top.
The set-up here actually feels like a romantic comedy. It turns out that Morelli and Plum had a thing back in high school – they slept together and he later dumped her.
The dynamics of a small-town setting where everyone knows everyone else is one of the more enjoyable aspects of the film.
And it also makes the relationship between hunter and hunted more complicated, particularly when Plum finds out that the case against Morelli is not so simple.
Luckily for her, there is the cool and somewhat mysterious Ranger to get her out of tight spots at a moment’s notice.
Though he seems attracted to her, it is never quite clear why he is so eager to help out a competitor.
Since this is meant to be more than a romantic comedy, there is also the murder mystery part of things to get through and this is where the movie feels pedestrian.
With so many crime procedurals on the small screen, a big screen outing needs something extra to set it apart. Otherwise, why bother?
Novelist Evanovich has also penned Two For The Dough (1996) and Three To Get Deadly (1997) all the way to Explosive Eighteen (2011).
The book franchise may be thriving but as for hopes of a film series, one might say that the buck stops here.
(ST)
Past performance is the best indicator of future results. This old human resources saying could well be applied to how movies fare at the box office.
So before Life! peers into the murky depths of the crystal ball to pick the top-grossing films of 2012, it would be instructive to take a quick look at the box-office champs for last year.
Film franchises overwhelmingly dominated the top 10 list with sequels and prequels taking up nine of the 10 spots, including champ Transformers: Dark Of The Moon.
Mr Rudy Marianto, vice-president of film marketing at Shaw Organisation, notes: “When the first instalment performs well at the box office, there will be this certain level of expectation created and the audience will definitely look forward to the subsequent films.”
This bodes well for the latest entries of popular franchises including The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, the new James Bond movie Skyfall, The Dark Knight Rises and Wrath Of The Titans.
Superhero films had a strong showing with X-Men: First Class, Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger. This makes Marvel’s The Avengers a no-brainer pick for the 2012 hit list, given that its super cast includes Thor, Captain America and Iron Man, from other successful movie franchises.
No Asian film cracked the overall top 10, although in past years, there has usually been an entry or two. In 2010, the period action flick Ip Man 2 made it to No. 6, while in 2008, Jack Neo’s Money No Enough 2 was No. 4 and Stephen Chow’s comic fantasy CJ7 was at No. 10.
Considering the strong hold that the supernatural continues to have in Singapore – three of the top 10 grossing Asian films last year had ghostly themes – a dark horse contender for the 2012 chart would be Sadako 3-D, featuring the creepy long-haired character from the Japanese horror classic The Ring (1998).
While The Hunger Games and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey are not sequels, neither are they unknown entities as both are based on popular novels. In addition, The Hobbit is a return to the realm of Middle Earth that was the setting for the massively popular The Lord Of The Rings film adaptations.
THE HUNGER GAMES
When: March 22
Who: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson
What: This is the film adaptation of the popular 2008 young adult adventure sci-fi novel of the same name by Suzanne Collins. In a post-apocalyptic world, 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) is forced to take part in a nationally televised tournament in which life and death are the stakes.
Why:
According to a poll by MTV’s Nextmovie.com, The Hunger Games is the most anticipated movie of 2012. Here in Singapore, the book emerged as the winner in the Senior category of the 2010 inaugural Red Dot Awards organised by the International Schools’ Librarians Network.
So while it might not be a franchise yet – there are two more novels in the trilogy – there is plenty of awareness and anticipation for the movie.
WRATH OF THE TITANS
When: March 29
Who: Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson
What: Demigod Perseus (Worthington) has to journey to the underworld to save his father Zeus (Neeson) from the clutches of the Titans.
Why:
Despite being lambasted for its 3-D conversion which was done after filming was completed, the remake of the cheesy 1981 flick of gods and monsters was still a big hit in Singapore. It earned $5.29 million and was the third highest-grossing movie for 2010.
Clash memorably featured the Kraken sea creature and the immortal line “Release the Kraken!”. The law of sequels dictates that Wrath will have to feature a meaner and more awesome monster.
MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS
When: May 1
Who: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth
What: It takes a team of superheroes – Iron Man (Downey), Captain America (Evans), Black Widow (Johansson), Thor (Hemsworth), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) – to save the world when an unexpected enemy threatens global security.
Why:
Iron Man is already a successful franchise in its own right. Iron Man 2 was the top-grossing film here in 2010, while Iron Man was the No. 2 movie for 2008. In addition, both Captain America and Thor can also lay claim to having their own hit movies.
The macho posturing of the cocky superheroes should be fun to watch while Johansson injects some womanly wiles into the testosterone-heavy project.
MADAGASCAR 3: EUROPE’S MOST WANTED
When: June 7
Who: Voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith
What: Alex the Lion (Stiller), Marty the Zebra (Rock), Melman the Giraffe (Schwimmer) and Gloria the Hippopotamus (Pinkett Smith) set out to return to New York from Africa by way of a circus travelling through Europe.
Why:
In the battle of the animated sequels – Madagascar 3 versus Ice Age 4 – the zoo animals might just edge out the prehistoric ones. Madagascar: Escape To Africa was 2008’s No. 5 movie while Ice Age 3: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs was 2009’s No. 7 movie.
Besides, a longer absence could well make the heart grow fonder.
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN
When: July 3
Who: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone
What: It is the fourth Columbia Pictures film about the web-slinging hero and the first one with Garfield stepping into the shoes Tobey Maguire had previously filled. Instead of the familiar Mary Jane Watson, the reboot has Stone in the love interest role of high school classmate Gwen Stacy.
Why:
The earlier three Spider-Man films (2002, 2004, 2007) only made about US$2.5 billion (S$3.2 billion) worldwide. Spider-Man 3 grossed an impressive $7.82 million to top the box office charts here in 2007.
The brand of the series is so strong that the new movie will survive the change of lead actor. Whether it can scale new heights at the box office will be the bigger question.
THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
When: July 19
Who: Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy
What: Eight years after the events of The Dark Knight (2008), Bruce Wayne/Batman returns to Gotham to face down Selina Kyle (Hathaway) and Bane (Hardy) – two villains from the Batman mythology.
Why:
This is the concluding chapter to Christopher Nolan’s acclaimed take on Batman. Batman Begins was the No. 8 movie in Singapore in 2005 and its sequel, The Dark Knight, moved up to the No. 3 position in 2008.
The poster is clever and the trailer promises awe-inducing action and destruction as well as Hathaway whispering that “there’s a storm coming”.
SADAKO 3-D
When: Aug
Who: Satomi Ishihara, Koji Seto
What: The Japanese horror classic The Ring (1998) was based on the 1991 novel of the same name by Koji Suzuki. He has reportedly scripted a completely new story for Sadako, who is the creepy long-haired character who appeared in The Ring.
Why:
The scene of Sadako crawling out of a television remains indelibly etched in the minds of those who saw The Ring. Now imagine this in 3-D. Just the thought is enough to induce goosebumps.
The story of a cursed videotape proved irresistible and it led to two Japanese sequels as well as American and Korean remakes.
SKYFALL
When: Nov 1
Who: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem
What: Superspy James Bond’s (Craig) loyalty to M (Judi Dench) is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. Bardem plays the baddie.
Why:
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy with Gary Oldman might get more critical acclaim but this action-packed spy thriller is likely to accomplish the mission at the box office. The last Bond outing, Quantum Of Solace, was No. 8 on the 2008 box office chart here.
Skyfall is the 23rd James Bond film and Craig is back for his third outing as the suave spy. Naomie Harris and Berenice Marlohe are the latest in a long line of sexy Bond girls.
THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2
When: Nov 22
Who: Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner
What: The conclusion to the romantic fantasy films based on Stephenie Meyer’s novels as vampire Edward (Pattinson) and human Bella’s (Stewart) child threatens both the werewolf pack and the vampire coven.
Why:
While Part 1 did not crack the top 10 list in Singapore last year 2011, Part 2 might given that it is the concluding chapter to a popular series, and it is the last chance for Team Edward and Team Jacob (Lautner plays the werewolf Jacob) to show their love.
After all, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2, the final salvo in that wizarding fantasy, was the third highest-grossing film for 2011.
THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY
When: Dec 13
Who: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen
What: The Hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Freeman) is approached by the wizard Gandalf the Grey (McKellen) to reclaim a lost treasure from the fearsome dragon Smaug.
Why:
J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord Of The Rings trilogy was turned into a critical and popular hit by Peter Jackson. The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King won 11 Oscars including for Best Picture and Best Director in 2004. It was also the top-grossing film in Singapore in 2003.
The Hobbit is also set in the universe of Middle Earth and helmed by Jackson. This is as sure a bet for box-office gold as one can imagine, short of a superhero sequel.
(ST)
So before Life! peers into the murky depths of the crystal ball to pick the top-grossing films of 2012, it would be instructive to take a quick look at the box-office champs for last year.
Film franchises overwhelmingly dominated the top 10 list with sequels and prequels taking up nine of the 10 spots, including champ Transformers: Dark Of The Moon.
Mr Rudy Marianto, vice-president of film marketing at Shaw Organisation, notes: “When the first instalment performs well at the box office, there will be this certain level of expectation created and the audience will definitely look forward to the subsequent films.”
This bodes well for the latest entries of popular franchises including The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, the new James Bond movie Skyfall, The Dark Knight Rises and Wrath Of The Titans.
Superhero films had a strong showing with X-Men: First Class, Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger. This makes Marvel’s The Avengers a no-brainer pick for the 2012 hit list, given that its super cast includes Thor, Captain America and Iron Man, from other successful movie franchises.
No Asian film cracked the overall top 10, although in past years, there has usually been an entry or two. In 2010, the period action flick Ip Man 2 made it to No. 6, while in 2008, Jack Neo’s Money No Enough 2 was No. 4 and Stephen Chow’s comic fantasy CJ7 was at No. 10.
Considering the strong hold that the supernatural continues to have in Singapore – three of the top 10 grossing Asian films last year had ghostly themes – a dark horse contender for the 2012 chart would be Sadako 3-D, featuring the creepy long-haired character from the Japanese horror classic The Ring (1998).
While The Hunger Games and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey are not sequels, neither are they unknown entities as both are based on popular novels. In addition, The Hobbit is a return to the realm of Middle Earth that was the setting for the massively popular The Lord Of The Rings film adaptations.
THE HUNGER GAMES
When: March 22
Who: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson
What: This is the film adaptation of the popular 2008 young adult adventure sci-fi novel of the same name by Suzanne Collins. In a post-apocalyptic world, 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) is forced to take part in a nationally televised tournament in which life and death are the stakes.
Why:
According to a poll by MTV’s Nextmovie.com, The Hunger Games is the most anticipated movie of 2012. Here in Singapore, the book emerged as the winner in the Senior category of the 2010 inaugural Red Dot Awards organised by the International Schools’ Librarians Network.
So while it might not be a franchise yet – there are two more novels in the trilogy – there is plenty of awareness and anticipation for the movie.
WRATH OF THE TITANS
When: March 29
Who: Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson
What: Demigod Perseus (Worthington) has to journey to the underworld to save his father Zeus (Neeson) from the clutches of the Titans.
Why:
Despite being lambasted for its 3-D conversion which was done after filming was completed, the remake of the cheesy 1981 flick of gods and monsters was still a big hit in Singapore. It earned $5.29 million and was the third highest-grossing movie for 2010.
Clash memorably featured the Kraken sea creature and the immortal line “Release the Kraken!”. The law of sequels dictates that Wrath will have to feature a meaner and more awesome monster.
MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS
When: May 1
Who: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth
What: It takes a team of superheroes – Iron Man (Downey), Captain America (Evans), Black Widow (Johansson), Thor (Hemsworth), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) – to save the world when an unexpected enemy threatens global security.
Why:
Iron Man is already a successful franchise in its own right. Iron Man 2 was the top-grossing film here in 2010, while Iron Man was the No. 2 movie for 2008. In addition, both Captain America and Thor can also lay claim to having their own hit movies.
The macho posturing of the cocky superheroes should be fun to watch while Johansson injects some womanly wiles into the testosterone-heavy project.
MADAGASCAR 3: EUROPE’S MOST WANTED
When: June 7
Who: Voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith
What: Alex the Lion (Stiller), Marty the Zebra (Rock), Melman the Giraffe (Schwimmer) and Gloria the Hippopotamus (Pinkett Smith) set out to return to New York from Africa by way of a circus travelling through Europe.
Why:
In the battle of the animated sequels – Madagascar 3 versus Ice Age 4 – the zoo animals might just edge out the prehistoric ones. Madagascar: Escape To Africa was 2008’s No. 5 movie while Ice Age 3: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs was 2009’s No. 7 movie.
Besides, a longer absence could well make the heart grow fonder.
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN
When: July 3
Who: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone
What: It is the fourth Columbia Pictures film about the web-slinging hero and the first one with Garfield stepping into the shoes Tobey Maguire had previously filled. Instead of the familiar Mary Jane Watson, the reboot has Stone in the love interest role of high school classmate Gwen Stacy.
Why:
The earlier three Spider-Man films (2002, 2004, 2007) only made about US$2.5 billion (S$3.2 billion) worldwide. Spider-Man 3 grossed an impressive $7.82 million to top the box office charts here in 2007.
The brand of the series is so strong that the new movie will survive the change of lead actor. Whether it can scale new heights at the box office will be the bigger question.
THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
When: July 19
Who: Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy
What: Eight years after the events of The Dark Knight (2008), Bruce Wayne/Batman returns to Gotham to face down Selina Kyle (Hathaway) and Bane (Hardy) – two villains from the Batman mythology.
Why:
This is the concluding chapter to Christopher Nolan’s acclaimed take on Batman. Batman Begins was the No. 8 movie in Singapore in 2005 and its sequel, The Dark Knight, moved up to the No. 3 position in 2008.
The poster is clever and the trailer promises awe-inducing action and destruction as well as Hathaway whispering that “there’s a storm coming”.
SADAKO 3-D
When: Aug
Who: Satomi Ishihara, Koji Seto
What: The Japanese horror classic The Ring (1998) was based on the 1991 novel of the same name by Koji Suzuki. He has reportedly scripted a completely new story for Sadako, who is the creepy long-haired character who appeared in The Ring.
Why:
The scene of Sadako crawling out of a television remains indelibly etched in the minds of those who saw The Ring. Now imagine this in 3-D. Just the thought is enough to induce goosebumps.
The story of a cursed videotape proved irresistible and it led to two Japanese sequels as well as American and Korean remakes.
SKYFALL
When: Nov 1
Who: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem
What: Superspy James Bond’s (Craig) loyalty to M (Judi Dench) is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. Bardem plays the baddie.
Why:
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy with Gary Oldman might get more critical acclaim but this action-packed spy thriller is likely to accomplish the mission at the box office. The last Bond outing, Quantum Of Solace, was No. 8 on the 2008 box office chart here.
Skyfall is the 23rd James Bond film and Craig is back for his third outing as the suave spy. Naomie Harris and Berenice Marlohe are the latest in a long line of sexy Bond girls.
THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2
When: Nov 22
Who: Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner
What: The conclusion to the romantic fantasy films based on Stephenie Meyer’s novels as vampire Edward (Pattinson) and human Bella’s (Stewart) child threatens both the werewolf pack and the vampire coven.
Why:
While Part 1 did not crack the top 10 list in Singapore last year 2011, Part 2 might given that it is the concluding chapter to a popular series, and it is the last chance for Team Edward and Team Jacob (Lautner plays the werewolf Jacob) to show their love.
After all, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2, the final salvo in that wizarding fantasy, was the third highest-grossing film for 2011.
THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY
When: Dec 13
Who: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen
What: The Hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Freeman) is approached by the wizard Gandalf the Grey (McKellen) to reclaim a lost treasure from the fearsome dragon Smaug.
Why:
J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord Of The Rings trilogy was turned into a critical and popular hit by Peter Jackson. The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King won 11 Oscars including for Best Picture and Best Director in 2004. It was also the top-grossing film in Singapore in 2003.
The Hobbit is also set in the universe of Middle Earth and helmed by Jackson. This is as sure a bet for box-office gold as one can imagine, short of a superhero sequel.
(ST)
Saturday, January 21, 2012
?
Eason Chan
The Adventures Of Bernie The Schoolboy
Joanna Wang
Dream A New Dream
Selina Jen
Far too often, Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s Mandarin releases have seemed like the poorer and less sophisticated cousins of his Cantonese albums.
It is hence a pleasant surprise to find that the elegantly titled ? is his most cohesive Mandarin effort to date, one which holds up well in any language.
There are highlights aplenty on this disc probing the mysteries of love and life.
See Through, written by Taiwanese singer-songwriter Shadya Lan, features incisive lyrics about human interaction paired with a bouncy piano melody.
Chan sings: “Everyone, is used to, meeting someone, to act all surface/Everyone, is not used to, seeing someone, to place sincerity first.”
Guilty, to which Singaporean Hanjin Tan contributes music and lyrics, is a love ballad with a morose protagonist: “I used to know that not sleeping, was bad for me/You were my sleeping pill” and “Every time I turn around, guilt is an executioner, destroying everything in my memory.”
There are also two Cantonese tracks and one English song, all interpreted by one of the most compelling voices in Chinese pop music today.
While Taiwan’s Joanna Wang also lays claim to a gorgeous set of pipes, she has not been too adventurous in her Mandarin releases.
That is not a criticism that can be levelled at her English concept album The Adventures Of Bernie The Schoolboy which delves into a richly imagined world of fantasy and whimsy.
The harpsichord features prominently in the instrumentation, and while it takes some getting used to, it helps in creating that fairy-tale mood and giving the disc a distinctive identity.
This is not some cheery rainbowcoloured tale, however, but one shot through with darkness and paranoia. The lyrics for The Bug go, “Now that we’ve bugged your phone/We hear even your dial tone/We hear your every word/You didn’t know could be heard.”
The EP from Selina Jen, one-third of Taiwan’s popular girl group S.H.E, has its share of darkness as well. She suffered third-degree burns in a filming accident in 2010 and the accompanying DVD has shots of her at the hospital and undergoing physiotherapy.
The ballad Everyone Who Loves Me, composed by local singer-songwriter JJ Lin with lyrics by Daryl Yao, touchingly conveys her gratitude to those who stood by her through those dark days: “Thank you everyone who loves me for accompanying me in the most nightmarish journey of my life.”
Jen wrote the lyrics for the track Dream and she yearns: “Like fish swimming leisurely in the sea, as natural as the deer running/If my world could be redone, these dreamscapes, will happen now.”
With her recent wedding to lawyer Richard Chang and return to music, one hopes that Jen’s nightmare is finally fading away.
(ST)
Eason Chan
The Adventures Of Bernie The Schoolboy
Joanna Wang
Dream A New Dream
Selina Jen
Far too often, Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s Mandarin releases have seemed like the poorer and less sophisticated cousins of his Cantonese albums.
It is hence a pleasant surprise to find that the elegantly titled ? is his most cohesive Mandarin effort to date, one which holds up well in any language.
There are highlights aplenty on this disc probing the mysteries of love and life.
See Through, written by Taiwanese singer-songwriter Shadya Lan, features incisive lyrics about human interaction paired with a bouncy piano melody.
Chan sings: “Everyone, is used to, meeting someone, to act all surface/Everyone, is not used to, seeing someone, to place sincerity first.”
Guilty, to which Singaporean Hanjin Tan contributes music and lyrics, is a love ballad with a morose protagonist: “I used to know that not sleeping, was bad for me/You were my sleeping pill” and “Every time I turn around, guilt is an executioner, destroying everything in my memory.”
There are also two Cantonese tracks and one English song, all interpreted by one of the most compelling voices in Chinese pop music today.
While Taiwan’s Joanna Wang also lays claim to a gorgeous set of pipes, she has not been too adventurous in her Mandarin releases.
That is not a criticism that can be levelled at her English concept album The Adventures Of Bernie The Schoolboy which delves into a richly imagined world of fantasy and whimsy.
The harpsichord features prominently in the instrumentation, and while it takes some getting used to, it helps in creating that fairy-tale mood and giving the disc a distinctive identity.
This is not some cheery rainbowcoloured tale, however, but one shot through with darkness and paranoia. The lyrics for The Bug go, “Now that we’ve bugged your phone/We hear even your dial tone/We hear your every word/You didn’t know could be heard.”
The EP from Selina Jen, one-third of Taiwan’s popular girl group S.H.E, has its share of darkness as well. She suffered third-degree burns in a filming accident in 2010 and the accompanying DVD has shots of her at the hospital and undergoing physiotherapy.
The ballad Everyone Who Loves Me, composed by local singer-songwriter JJ Lin with lyrics by Daryl Yao, touchingly conveys her gratitude to those who stood by her through those dark days: “Thank you everyone who loves me for accompanying me in the most nightmarish journey of my life.”
Jen wrote the lyrics for the track Dream and she yearns: “Like fish swimming leisurely in the sea, as natural as the deer running/If my world could be redone, these dreamscapes, will happen now.”
With her recent wedding to lawyer Richard Chang and return to music, one hopes that Jen’s nightmare is finally fading away.
(ST)
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Dance Dance Dragon
Kat Goh
The Chinese title Long Zhong Wu, which is a rough translation of the English title, is the homonym for the Hokkien phrase, which means everything is available.
That, unfortunately, is what director Kat Goh and scribes Kelvin Tong and Marcus Chin try to do: overstuff this Dragon.
There is the archetypal Hong Kong family comedy set-up: A spinsterish eldest daughter (Dennis Chew, in drag as his popular alter-ego Lucy, below right), tomboyish second daughter Ah Bee (Kym Ng) and an immature son Ah Long (Melvin Sia).
Eric (Adrian Pang, below left) is the irascible gambler/chef who turns out to be a potential love interest for Lucy and Ah Bee, while the matriarch (Lai Meng) fervently prays for a grandson.
Then these other elements are thrown into the mix: a baby (Nigel Yeo) who magically appears on the first day of Chinese New Year, heaven as a corporate bureaucracy run by children speaking in clipped tones, a clash between two lion dance troupes, scheming relatives, bumbling villains and comic-book style visual flourishes.
The actors try their best, but apart from some fleetingly funny moments, mostly from Pang, the cutest performance here is from the baby. At one point, it seemed that Eric might use the magic baby as an aid at the casino. Too bad the chance for a funny scene is lost as the politically correct film opts for an anti-gambling, pro-family stance.
So this Dragon does not dance. Mostly, the bloated creature just drags its feet.
(ST)
Kat Goh
The Chinese title Long Zhong Wu, which is a rough translation of the English title, is the homonym for the Hokkien phrase, which means everything is available.
That, unfortunately, is what director Kat Goh and scribes Kelvin Tong and Marcus Chin try to do: overstuff this Dragon.
There is the archetypal Hong Kong family comedy set-up: A spinsterish eldest daughter (Dennis Chew, in drag as his popular alter-ego Lucy, below right), tomboyish second daughter Ah Bee (Kym Ng) and an immature son Ah Long (Melvin Sia).
Eric (Adrian Pang, below left) is the irascible gambler/chef who turns out to be a potential love interest for Lucy and Ah Bee, while the matriarch (Lai Meng) fervently prays for a grandson.
Then these other elements are thrown into the mix: a baby (Nigel Yeo) who magically appears on the first day of Chinese New Year, heaven as a corporate bureaucracy run by children speaking in clipped tones, a clash between two lion dance troupes, scheming relatives, bumbling villains and comic-book style visual flourishes.
The actors try their best, but apart from some fleetingly funny moments, mostly from Pang, the cutest performance here is from the baby. At one point, it seemed that Eric might use the magic baby as an aid at the casino. Too bad the chance for a funny scene is lost as the politically correct film opts for an anti-gambling, pro-family stance.
So this Dragon does not dance. Mostly, the bloated creature just drags its feet.
(ST)
The Viral Factor
Dante Lam
The story: Police special agent Jon (Jay Chou) goes to Malaysia to track down his estranged father and elder brother. There, he gets entangled in a bio-terrorist plot involving the smallpox virus. Medical specialist Rachel (Lin Peng) is kidnapped for her expertise by none other than Yang (Nicholas Tse), Jon’s brother.
The Viral Factor is not particularly festive in subject matter (who would like a dose of smallpox to go with their bak kwa?), but it might just be the flick to turn your Chinese New Year holidays into a blast.
The thriller’s US$17-million (S$22-million) budget shows in the globe-trotting story and big-scale action sequences. It was filmed in China, the Middle East and South-east Asia and even used “real military weapons”, boast the production notes.
Things get off to a pacey start when an operation to protect some key personnel in Jordan goes horribly wrong. Agent Jon and his fellow team members are betrayed by a traitor in their midst and he takes a bullet in the head.
Granted, The Viral Factor can be preposterous as big-budget action thrillers are wont to be, but director Dante Lam makes it entertainingly so.
Lam – known for his taut police thrillers including Beast Cops, which won for Best Picture and Best Director at the Hong Kong Film Awards in 1999 – knows his action and given the opportunity to work on a bigger canvas, he runs with it. There are rocket launchers and bombs in the streets of Jordan, car chases and helicopter chases in Malaysia and a fiery gunbattle finale that is set on a container ship.
This is top-notch carnage and wreckage and one marvels at the level of cooperation that must have been extended to the production crew in Malaysia in shutting down roads and a train station, and even allowing for choppers to weave between skyscrapers. It seems unlikely this could have been filmed in Singapore and certainly there is no way our cops would have been allowed to look this incompetent.
Mandopop superstar Jay Chou, looking all grungy and scruffy, is clearly gunning for more grown-up appeal, even as he indulges his inner child on his latest album, Exclamation Point (2011).
His co-star Tse, though, is the one who stands out. As the tattooed “righteous thief” with a bad perm job and his daughter’s life on the line, he is the guy you end up rooting for.
In 2010’s The Stool Pigeon, he had gamely endured being knocked about and becoming increasingly bruised and battered, physically and emotionally. Here, he is shot at, beaten up, flung off and flung down a building. Someone give the man an award for dedication to his craft already. And comprehensive insurance coverage.
(ST)
Dante Lam
The story: Police special agent Jon (Jay Chou) goes to Malaysia to track down his estranged father and elder brother. There, he gets entangled in a bio-terrorist plot involving the smallpox virus. Medical specialist Rachel (Lin Peng) is kidnapped for her expertise by none other than Yang (Nicholas Tse), Jon’s brother.
The Viral Factor is not particularly festive in subject matter (who would like a dose of smallpox to go with their bak kwa?), but it might just be the flick to turn your Chinese New Year holidays into a blast.
The thriller’s US$17-million (S$22-million) budget shows in the globe-trotting story and big-scale action sequences. It was filmed in China, the Middle East and South-east Asia and even used “real military weapons”, boast the production notes.
Things get off to a pacey start when an operation to protect some key personnel in Jordan goes horribly wrong. Agent Jon and his fellow team members are betrayed by a traitor in their midst and he takes a bullet in the head.
Granted, The Viral Factor can be preposterous as big-budget action thrillers are wont to be, but director Dante Lam makes it entertainingly so.
Lam – known for his taut police thrillers including Beast Cops, which won for Best Picture and Best Director at the Hong Kong Film Awards in 1999 – knows his action and given the opportunity to work on a bigger canvas, he runs with it. There are rocket launchers and bombs in the streets of Jordan, car chases and helicopter chases in Malaysia and a fiery gunbattle finale that is set on a container ship.
This is top-notch carnage and wreckage and one marvels at the level of cooperation that must have been extended to the production crew in Malaysia in shutting down roads and a train station, and even allowing for choppers to weave between skyscrapers. It seems unlikely this could have been filmed in Singapore and certainly there is no way our cops would have been allowed to look this incompetent.
Mandopop superstar Jay Chou, looking all grungy and scruffy, is clearly gunning for more grown-up appeal, even as he indulges his inner child on his latest album, Exclamation Point (2011).
His co-star Tse, though, is the one who stands out. As the tattooed “righteous thief” with a bad perm job and his daughter’s life on the line, he is the guy you end up rooting for.
In 2010’s The Stool Pigeon, he had gamely endured being knocked about and becoming increasingly bruised and battered, physically and emotionally. Here, he is shot at, beaten up, flung off and flung down a building. Someone give the man an award for dedication to his craft already. And comprehensive insurance coverage.
(ST)
We Not Naughty
Jack Neo
The story: Polytechnic students Weijie (Shawn Lee) and Jianren (Joshua Ang) are best friends who are sucked into the world of loansharks. New teacher CK (Daniel Chan) is determined to be there for them. However, he unwittingly helps the boys to create a remote-controlled flying machine, called Ah Long No. 2, for which the bad guys have more nefarious uses than just collecting debts.
Local film-maker Jack Neo is a familiar fixture when it comes to the Chinese New Year box-office sweepstakes. His past entries have included Love Matters (2009), Ah Long Pte Ltd (2008), Just Follow Law (2007) and I Not Stupid Too (2006), stretching all the way back to 1999’s Liang Po Po – The Movie.
We Not Naughty, his latest festive entry, is also familiarly unpalatable.
For starters, director and co-writer Neo tackles way too many issues here.
Apart from the topical loansharking plot, Weijie’s younger sister (Cheryl Yeo) learns about the real-life consequences of Internet bullying the hard way, his younger brother (Ivan Lo) struggles with being good, and gambling debts lead to an explosive confrontation between his father (Jacky Chin) and mother (Xiang Yun). And that is just Weijie’s family.
Jianren has a mother, Cynthia Phua (Dawn Gan), who is more interested in her career than her family, and an Americanised younger brother (Amos Yee) who looks down on his elder sibling.
There is also teacher CK’s attempts to bond with his students and an ill-conceived bet in which the loser has to run through the school naked.
Predictably, Neo ends up making not a cohesive social drama but a scattershot series of skits with much moralising. His messages are as subtle as having a ton of bricks dropped on one’s head before being totalled by a steamroller.
Pointed digs about foreigners taking over HDB estates and loansharks following gerrymandered electoral boundaries are essentially punchlines in these skits, not political satire.
Shawn Lee and Joshua Ang are the most natural among the younger bunch of actors and they have a chemistry that dates back to Neo’s I Not Stupid (2002). But the poignancy of two frustrated teenagers left with few choices is almost buried with everything that is going on.
And then a theme song blares: “We are a group of hopeless people, bound to get hurt and fall sooner or later/No one will care whose responsibility this is, we are just like drifting motes of dust.” Obvious much?
The characters rarely feel like flesh-and-blood creations. And because they do not, moments of forgiveness and redemption, underscored by sad-sounding musical cues, are mawkish, not moving.
In the final half-hour or so of this overlong movie, Neo decides he has had enough of social drama and puts on his action director hat instead.
So all the major characters are willy-nilly assembled in a jungle setting: Weijie and Jianren with their remote-controlled flying device, the blustery bad guys, the feckless and reckless CK and his heavily pregnant wife in pursuit and the maddeningly upbeat Madam Phua who manages to find her way into the melee as well.
The payoff? One of the most ludicrous and unnecessary birth scenes committed to film. There was a point about the bond between mothers and their children, but I had long since hitched a ride on the steamroller out of there.
(ST)
Jack Neo
The story: Polytechnic students Weijie (Shawn Lee) and Jianren (Joshua Ang) are best friends who are sucked into the world of loansharks. New teacher CK (Daniel Chan) is determined to be there for them. However, he unwittingly helps the boys to create a remote-controlled flying machine, called Ah Long No. 2, for which the bad guys have more nefarious uses than just collecting debts.
Local film-maker Jack Neo is a familiar fixture when it comes to the Chinese New Year box-office sweepstakes. His past entries have included Love Matters (2009), Ah Long Pte Ltd (2008), Just Follow Law (2007) and I Not Stupid Too (2006), stretching all the way back to 1999’s Liang Po Po – The Movie.
We Not Naughty, his latest festive entry, is also familiarly unpalatable.
For starters, director and co-writer Neo tackles way too many issues here.
Apart from the topical loansharking plot, Weijie’s younger sister (Cheryl Yeo) learns about the real-life consequences of Internet bullying the hard way, his younger brother (Ivan Lo) struggles with being good, and gambling debts lead to an explosive confrontation between his father (Jacky Chin) and mother (Xiang Yun). And that is just Weijie’s family.
Jianren has a mother, Cynthia Phua (Dawn Gan), who is more interested in her career than her family, and an Americanised younger brother (Amos Yee) who looks down on his elder sibling.
There is also teacher CK’s attempts to bond with his students and an ill-conceived bet in which the loser has to run through the school naked.
Predictably, Neo ends up making not a cohesive social drama but a scattershot series of skits with much moralising. His messages are as subtle as having a ton of bricks dropped on one’s head before being totalled by a steamroller.
Pointed digs about foreigners taking over HDB estates and loansharks following gerrymandered electoral boundaries are essentially punchlines in these skits, not political satire.
Shawn Lee and Joshua Ang are the most natural among the younger bunch of actors and they have a chemistry that dates back to Neo’s I Not Stupid (2002). But the poignancy of two frustrated teenagers left with few choices is almost buried with everything that is going on.
And then a theme song blares: “We are a group of hopeless people, bound to get hurt and fall sooner or later/No one will care whose responsibility this is, we are just like drifting motes of dust.” Obvious much?
The characters rarely feel like flesh-and-blood creations. And because they do not, moments of forgiveness and redemption, underscored by sad-sounding musical cues, are mawkish, not moving.
In the final half-hour or so of this overlong movie, Neo decides he has had enough of social drama and puts on his action director hat instead.
So all the major characters are willy-nilly assembled in a jungle setting: Weijie and Jianren with their remote-controlled flying device, the blustery bad guys, the feckless and reckless CK and his heavily pregnant wife in pursuit and the maddeningly upbeat Madam Phua who manages to find her way into the melee as well.
The payoff? One of the most ludicrous and unnecessary birth scenes committed to film. There was a point about the bond between mothers and their children, but I had long since hitched a ride on the steamroller out of there.
(ST)
Monday, January 16, 2012
Jam Hsiao World Tour 2012
Singapore Indoor Stadium
Last Saturday
Can a human jukebox be a music star?
Somewhat surprisingly, Taiwanese singer Jam Hsiao proves that the answer is yes.
With three albums of original material released since he burst into fame in 2007 on the TV singing competition One Million Star, he could put together a show without covers.
Yet, over the course of a three-hour concert, he performed his own songs less than half the time. Other artists’ hits dominated right from the get-go.
No matter. Both his concert on Saturday and his last show here in 2010 were sold-out affairs.
Hsiao, 24, made his entrance dressed like a matador touched by Midas and opened the gig with Wild Dreams, the title track from his 2011 album. Then followed a string of covers from Michael Jackson’s Black Or White to Tanya Chua’s Beautiful Love.
His setlist, while showing good taste in music, threatened to upstage some of his own songs such as I Really Want To Say.
The fans were happy to hear their idol sing pretty much anything though it did seem that Forgive Me, a hit from his 2008 debut album, was greeted with louder screams of excitement.
He is a most competent and versatile singer, with a richly resonant and emotive voice and a raspy edge perfect for both rock and pop.
A slowed-down, jazzed-up take on Teresa Teng’s classic The Moon Represents My Heart mixed well with the fast tunes. The only problem was the overloud music which sometimes threatened to bury his more tender moments, such as on Faye Wong’s The Very Last Blossom.
And how he turned up the energy with fast-paced numbers, including Jay Chou’s Cowboy On The Run and Show Lo’s One Man Show, before going all out in a Mando-techno segment climaxing with Sammi Cheng’s thumping Mei Fei Se Wu (Overjoyed).
His outfit here was appropriately over-the-top and cheesily dramatic. He was dressed in a get-up of black and fluorescent yellow with lights over his crotch and buttocks. It looked like he was wearing electric underpants.
It hardly mattered whose songs Hsiao was singing at this point. He was simply putting on a good show and his musical talent extended to the piano as well as a pimped-out drum set.
Even his inability to banter tickled his fans as he repeatedly hollered, “Da jia hao! (Hello, everybody!)”.
Just when you had accepted the curious lack of Hsiao’s own songs, he proceeded to reel them off, especially in the two encores, including the hit ballad Collection and the heartfelt You. Believers, this reviewer’s personal favourite off his second album Princess (2009), did not make the cut.
By the time Hsiao ended the night on a high with the raucous Princess, he had shown that he was no run-of-the-mill jukebox: He was one who could push our emotional buttons.
(ST)
Singapore Indoor Stadium
Last Saturday
Can a human jukebox be a music star?
Somewhat surprisingly, Taiwanese singer Jam Hsiao proves that the answer is yes.
With three albums of original material released since he burst into fame in 2007 on the TV singing competition One Million Star, he could put together a show without covers.
Yet, over the course of a three-hour concert, he performed his own songs less than half the time. Other artists’ hits dominated right from the get-go.
No matter. Both his concert on Saturday and his last show here in 2010 were sold-out affairs.
Hsiao, 24, made his entrance dressed like a matador touched by Midas and opened the gig with Wild Dreams, the title track from his 2011 album. Then followed a string of covers from Michael Jackson’s Black Or White to Tanya Chua’s Beautiful Love.
His setlist, while showing good taste in music, threatened to upstage some of his own songs such as I Really Want To Say.
The fans were happy to hear their idol sing pretty much anything though it did seem that Forgive Me, a hit from his 2008 debut album, was greeted with louder screams of excitement.
He is a most competent and versatile singer, with a richly resonant and emotive voice and a raspy edge perfect for both rock and pop.
A slowed-down, jazzed-up take on Teresa Teng’s classic The Moon Represents My Heart mixed well with the fast tunes. The only problem was the overloud music which sometimes threatened to bury his more tender moments, such as on Faye Wong’s The Very Last Blossom.
And how he turned up the energy with fast-paced numbers, including Jay Chou’s Cowboy On The Run and Show Lo’s One Man Show, before going all out in a Mando-techno segment climaxing with Sammi Cheng’s thumping Mei Fei Se Wu (Overjoyed).
His outfit here was appropriately over-the-top and cheesily dramatic. He was dressed in a get-up of black and fluorescent yellow with lights over his crotch and buttocks. It looked like he was wearing electric underpants.
It hardly mattered whose songs Hsiao was singing at this point. He was simply putting on a good show and his musical talent extended to the piano as well as a pimped-out drum set.
Even his inability to banter tickled his fans as he repeatedly hollered, “Da jia hao! (Hello, everybody!)”.
Just when you had accepted the curious lack of Hsiao’s own songs, he proceeded to reel them off, especially in the two encores, including the hit ballad Collection and the heartfelt You. Believers, this reviewer’s personal favourite off his second album Princess (2009), did not make the cut.
By the time Hsiao ended the night on a high with the raucous Princess, he had shown that he was no run-of-the-mill jukebox: He was one who could push our emotional buttons.
(ST)
Friday, January 13, 2012
Magical Shop
Peggy Hsu
Just The Way I Am
Genie Chuo
Taiwan’s Peggy Hsu and Genie Chuo both made their debuts in 2001.
Both celebrated a decade in music last year, and both have come up with new releases to mark the milestone.
It has been a sometimes rocky road for Hsu. The 30-year-old was mired in a contractual dispute for years, after her song Balloon (2001) flew out and became a hit, and it was not until 2007 that her sophomore effort Peggy’s Wish Box was released.
On her fifth disc Magical Shop, the singer-songwriter continues to whip up whimsy, a mood that was most effectively sustained on the winter-themed Snowman (2009) and the circus-inspired EP Le Cirque I (2010).
This time around, she draws on magic and fairy tales. Sometimes, she seems content to be twee and cutesy even when the subject is sadness. She sings in the track Venice: “Tears are water that’s been seasoned with salt/falling drop by drop, bit by bit/cooking a bowl of noodles.”
One wishes there were more songs such as the poignantly observed The Fool Who Sells Smiles: “The fool is singing, the sky is adrift with dazzling perfect snow/The grand ball starts like this/The matches all burnt out, leaving behind cold air.”
While not quite wondrously magical, it remains worthwhile to poke about in this Shop.
On album No. 5, Chuo’s shrill voice still takes a little getting used to. To her credit, the 25-year-old is trying to shake up her sweetie-pie image with the catchy dance-pop of Villain and Don’t, Don’t.
But while she reportedly drew on her own failed romance for the lyrics for Enough, the results feel fairly generic: “Don’t want to love any more, don’t want to not let go, don’t want to become the one who admits defeat at the end/Want to cry, want to go crazy, want to forget, you were the person I once loved.”
Chuo might declare that this is who she is with the album title, but it is Hsu who has the more distinctive musical personality.
(ST)
Peggy Hsu
Just The Way I Am
Genie Chuo
Taiwan’s Peggy Hsu and Genie Chuo both made their debuts in 2001.
Both celebrated a decade in music last year, and both have come up with new releases to mark the milestone.
It has been a sometimes rocky road for Hsu. The 30-year-old was mired in a contractual dispute for years, after her song Balloon (2001) flew out and became a hit, and it was not until 2007 that her sophomore effort Peggy’s Wish Box was released.
On her fifth disc Magical Shop, the singer-songwriter continues to whip up whimsy, a mood that was most effectively sustained on the winter-themed Snowman (2009) and the circus-inspired EP Le Cirque I (2010).
This time around, she draws on magic and fairy tales. Sometimes, she seems content to be twee and cutesy even when the subject is sadness. She sings in the track Venice: “Tears are water that’s been seasoned with salt/falling drop by drop, bit by bit/cooking a bowl of noodles.”
One wishes there were more songs such as the poignantly observed The Fool Who Sells Smiles: “The fool is singing, the sky is adrift with dazzling perfect snow/The grand ball starts like this/The matches all burnt out, leaving behind cold air.”
While not quite wondrously magical, it remains worthwhile to poke about in this Shop.
On album No. 5, Chuo’s shrill voice still takes a little getting used to. To her credit, the 25-year-old is trying to shake up her sweetie-pie image with the catchy dance-pop of Villain and Don’t, Don’t.
But while she reportedly drew on her own failed romance for the lyrics for Enough, the results feel fairly generic: “Don’t want to love any more, don’t want to not let go, don’t want to become the one who admits defeat at the end/Want to cry, want to go crazy, want to forget, you were the person I once loved.”
Chuo might declare that this is who she is with the album title, but it is Hsu who has the more distinctive musical personality.
(ST)
Saturday, January 07, 2012
On The Way Home
Penny Tai
On her milestone 10th album, Malaysian singer-songwriter Penny Tai sounds refreshed and revitalised.
She apparently wrote the songs while taking a break in the United States and there is a relaxed vibe to the material here.
On the jangly opener On The Way Home, she has an epiphany: “On the way home, I realised I hate the bustle of the city/During these free-and-easy days, I kissed the earth”.
Bare My Feet continues in this breezy folksy vein: “I want to bare my feet and dance on the streets/Counting the faces in love, moving step by step”.
Another highlight here is the mid- tempo Beautiful Times which finds Tai in a reflective mood: “There’s a stretch of road I’ve walked that I won’t forget/A person I’ve loved still in my heart/Although I’ve fallen along the way, that’s growing, too/I’m not afraid, it’s not just bravado”.
It all points to a renewed sense of purpose, which bodes well for her journey as a singer-songwriter.
(ST)
Penny Tai
On her milestone 10th album, Malaysian singer-songwriter Penny Tai sounds refreshed and revitalised.
She apparently wrote the songs while taking a break in the United States and there is a relaxed vibe to the material here.
On the jangly opener On The Way Home, she has an epiphany: “On the way home, I realised I hate the bustle of the city/During these free-and-easy days, I kissed the earth”.
Bare My Feet continues in this breezy folksy vein: “I want to bare my feet and dance on the streets/Counting the faces in love, moving step by step”.
Another highlight here is the mid- tempo Beautiful Times which finds Tai in a reflective mood: “There’s a stretch of road I’ve walked that I won’t forget/A person I’ve loved still in my heart/Although I’ve fallen along the way, that’s growing, too/I’m not afraid, it’s not just bravado”.
It all points to a renewed sense of purpose, which bodes well for her journey as a singer-songwriter.
(ST)
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