(Update: OK, maybe I was too hard on this CD. Been listening to it again, 'Wind it Up' sounds better and better the more you listen to it. It has that edge, especially after reading the lyrics and watching the video. Wind it Up will end up as one of this year's best songs. -rob)
Also known as BLAM, 'Barenaked Ladies Are Me' is BNL's latest release. Now I had extremely high expectations with this one, as I do with all new Barenaked Ladies albums. These guys write some of the most creative, kickass songs I've ever heard. And I could always relate past significant events and emotions with some Barenaked Ladies or CAKE song. I was expecting to be blown away with this one, like all their past albums.
Alas, it didn't happen. I went through it once, thought it sounded nice, but nothing really remarkable, then stashed it away. Waited a few weeks, then listened to it again thinking I might have some new insight to the songs that didn't occur to me before (as was the case with their album 'Maroon'). Still no change, it was just an unremarkable album, nothing special.
I'm not discounting the fact that a year or two from now, I'll pick it up again and "get it". But I don't expect that to happen. Here's why, this CD seems to lack a certain edginess, that punch, that intensity that was present in their previous work. I'm guessing the band has matured to the point where things are good, everyone is content, life is comfortable, and it reflects in their music. There's still a bit of that quirky lyrics and hidden meanings, but much less than before.
Another possible reason for easy-going nature of this album is that the band is now producing their own work. So they have full creative control over the music process. This can be good or bad depending on how it goes. It's good because we get to hear the original unblemished songs that the band intended us to listen to. But it can also be a disadvantage because you lack that creative input from the record label that has a feel of what sells and what doesn't. I'm not usually a fan of the record industry, as evidenced by all the flat, prefabricated music being played today on the radio. But there is probably some positive effect with having some constructive feedback from the label on what works and what doesn't. With BLAM, the band has all grown up and is learning to be on its own without adult supervision.
Due to this, I'm confident that the Ladies will learn from their mistakes and create a more meaningful, intense batch of songs the next time around. This was just a rare off-day.
We also learned here that Steven Page and Ed Robertson, the two frontmen are still the best songwriters and singers. The CD features a couple of other songs written and sometimes sung by Jim Creeggan (bass guy) and Kevin Hearn (keyboards, multi-instrument guy). Not that their songs were bad, I guess they were ok, just not my type. And maybe an acquired folk taste is necessary to appreciate them.
Two songs are passably good here: 'Bank Job', a song about a botched bank robbery, and my personal favorite 'Wind It Up', a country-type song with its catchy "wind it up" chorus. The rest aren't particularly memorable. Don't get me wrong, it's still better than most of the music out there, but I expect more from one of my all-time favorite bands, Barenaked Ladies.
Rating: 2/5 * *
A little uninspired, lacks emotion.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Leigh Nash - Blue on Blue
After the news several years ago of the break up of Sixpence None the Richer, my fantasy scenario has been a Leigh Nash solo album. And that's exactly what we get with Blue on Blue, her first solo work. Fantasies do come true.
I'll get straight to the point. I'm a bit disappointed with the songs. They are good, no doubt about it, her wonderful voice is prominently displayed. The music is clean and thoughtfully engineered with clean instruments and sweet ballads. But it lacks something. Instantly after listening to the CD several times, I knew that it wasn't up to par with the previous Sixpence None the Richer songs. They lack the edge, the punch, the subtle religious angst that were present in Sixpence. They were too sweet, too radio-friendly, took too little chances. They came across more like traditional love songs and lullabies.
I think part of the reason was that Ms. Nash just gave birth and was focused on raising a family during the recording of this album, and thus lost some of that musical edge. Now some of you are probably thinking that the old Sixpence songs aren't really known for angst and anger, and you're probably right because their more popular hits 'Kiss Me' and 'There She Goes' were kind of laid-back and sweet sounding. It is their other lesser known hits that had that element of bitterness and hint of anxiety that made me appreciate the band. To get an idea what I mean, check out their songs Angel Tread, as well as 'Paralyzed' from their Divine Discontent album. There was always that hint of religious rebellion and spark from Leigh Nash that made her so attractive.
I count two good songs here: 'Ocean Size Love' has some of her best singing and a couple of great parts. Another good one, and my favorite track of the album is 'Cloud Nine' where they speed up the tempo and show a bit of a killer instinct, like the old Sixpence style. The first three songs are pleasant-sounding and meant to match a certain mood that I couldn't fully relate while listening to them. The rest are average ballads that she carries well with her voice.
So I'm a bit let down, but that's ok, because this solo album was a first good step. And she has some other good stuff coming up which I'll write about as soon as I get my hands on them. If you want a preview of future Leigh Nash music, check out her website and myspace page (love her versions of those Christmas songs). And if you haven't seen the video of Breathe Your Name yet, you're in for a treat. It's one of my favorite videos of all time.
Rating: 3/5 * * *
Too sweet, lacks the Christian angst.
I'll get straight to the point. I'm a bit disappointed with the songs. They are good, no doubt about it, her wonderful voice is prominently displayed. The music is clean and thoughtfully engineered with clean instruments and sweet ballads. But it lacks something. Instantly after listening to the CD several times, I knew that it wasn't up to par with the previous Sixpence None the Richer songs. They lack the edge, the punch, the subtle religious angst that were present in Sixpence. They were too sweet, too radio-friendly, took too little chances. They came across more like traditional love songs and lullabies.
I think part of the reason was that Ms. Nash just gave birth and was focused on raising a family during the recording of this album, and thus lost some of that musical edge. Now some of you are probably thinking that the old Sixpence songs aren't really known for angst and anger, and you're probably right because their more popular hits 'Kiss Me' and 'There She Goes' were kind of laid-back and sweet sounding. It is their other lesser known hits that had that element of bitterness and hint of anxiety that made me appreciate the band. To get an idea what I mean, check out their songs Angel Tread, as well as 'Paralyzed' from their Divine Discontent album. There was always that hint of religious rebellion and spark from Leigh Nash that made her so attractive.
I count two good songs here: 'Ocean Size Love' has some of her best singing and a couple of great parts. Another good one, and my favorite track of the album is 'Cloud Nine' where they speed up the tempo and show a bit of a killer instinct, like the old Sixpence style. The first three songs are pleasant-sounding and meant to match a certain mood that I couldn't fully relate while listening to them. The rest are average ballads that she carries well with her voice.
So I'm a bit let down, but that's ok, because this solo album was a first good step. And she has some other good stuff coming up which I'll write about as soon as I get my hands on them. If you want a preview of future Leigh Nash music, check out her website and myspace page (love her versions of those Christmas songs). And if you haven't seen the video of Breathe Your Name yet, you're in for a treat. It's one of my favorite videos of all time.
Rating: 3/5 * * *
Too sweet, lacks the Christian angst.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
11 minutes
a book by paulo coelho. the same brazilian author of The Alchemist. 11 minutes is an erotic and spiritual adventure of a prostitute. it is an easy read with a delicate subject matter. sex.
my favorite part was when it teaches you how to give pleasure to the woman via the sides of the clitoris and the clitoris itself. penetration apparently is not as pleasurable to women as it does to men. another interesting part is when it describes the several sexual problems that men have. his insécurités. his needs.
its hard to believe that women from history were not aware of the clitoris. after this discovery, i am very glad that women of today are able to finally enjoy sex as much as men do. they absolutely deserve it. [français]
rating: 3/5 ***
informative
my favorite part was when it teaches you how to give pleasure to the woman via the sides of the clitoris and the clitoris itself. penetration apparently is not as pleasurable to women as it does to men. another interesting part is when it describes the several sexual problems that men have. his insécurités. his needs.
its hard to believe that women from history were not aware of the clitoris. after this discovery, i am very glad that women of today are able to finally enjoy sex as much as men do. they absolutely deserve it. [français]
rating: 3/5 ***
informative
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
The Wicker Man
If you haven’t watched this movie yet, stop reading as I reveal some of my reactions that technically aren’t spoilers but may give away clues to the story.
This was a remake of a 70’s classic movie of the same name which I had been planning to watch on DVD. I was delighted when I heard this was showing now and jumped at the opportunity to watch this on the big screen. Usually I’ll watch the original first, to preserve the experience, and the remake later. But in this case I made an exception because I had the feeling it would be weird and scary.
It delivers. The Wicker Man is quietly creepy. It actually reminded me of those old school DC or Charlton scary comics that I read as a kid. I like the way they made the music a bit cheesy, it sets the mood well. I genuinely felt I was in the island. Heck, I felt like I was Nicholas Cage’s character. I know you hear me saying this a lot, but I can relate to the lead character in the movie. I use the term ‘relate’ in a bad way, as you really wouldn’t want to be his character here.
The plot is extremely simple, easy to follow. Many people will hate the story. They will say this is a stupid movie and I can actually understand where they are coming from. But I suspect this is because the movie does some different things that ordinary people don’t like happening in their feature length films. Watch this yourself and make your own decision.
The ending is a little heavy. Not the deep kind of heavy. As I said it’s very simple, much like a WWE wrestling storyline. But it ends with a thud. And I could see the faces of the people leaving the movie house that they just felt the weight of the resolution. It affected me a bit differently. I was mad. Yes, I was quite angry as the ending hit me as if I was the main character. I wanted an ass-whupping, Stone Cold Steve Austin style. I wanted Cage to do a Rambo. I wanted this to be more Hollywood. Of course it didn’t happen, and that’s why this is something special. After watching this, I felt like I had to go home and take a shower as I felt as used as Cage's character was. It reminds me of Jason Biggs' classic line in American Pie "I've been used... I've been used" only in a sad, sick way. Ugh.
Rating: 4/5 * * * *
A bad mood that's good.
(More spoilers and thoughts in the comments)
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Great Musical Experiences
Ever listened to music and felt a tremendous surge of inspiration - when the music took a greater meaning and had a life of its own? You were transported to this wonderful place where the individual sounds and lyrics brought a personal surreal experience. Here are some of my favorite musical experiences of all time to the best of my memory, arranged in chronological order.
CAKE/Juliana Hatfield - Rock n' Roll Lifestyle, Universal Heart-Beat
Rock n' Roll Lifestyle was the first CAKE song I heard. I remember thinking it had a very unique, honest feel to it. In the first place, there was more talking than singing, and some chorus chants in the background. Great lyrics too such as: "And how long will the workers keep building him new ones… (chant) as long as you're drinking those red white and blue ones." I felt I was entering a new undiscovered musical era.
There was this other song that was a minor hit on the same station that played Rock n' Roll Lifestyle. It was Juliana Hatfield's Universal Heart-Beat, which had equally disturbing lyrics: "Beauty can be sad. You're proof of that. When the damage is done, you're damaged goods." Combined with extending a single syllable "heart" to fill in an entire verse. I kept thinking of these two songs for the duration of 1995, which coincided with the first time I was out of school. There was just something cool about both songs.
Lizards Convention - Wooden Heart, Rock the Boat
A short time after, this small Singaporean band composed of teenagers had a minor hit across southeast asia - Wooden Heart, a remake of the Elvis Presley song. I was also pleasantly surprised to hear that their other song 'Rock the Boat' (also a remake) was as good or even better than their radio hit Wooden Heart. What made this a great listening experience was that it brings back memories of the time I spent playing basketball with co-dangerous review roehl and a bunch of fun guys. We also started having cable at home where I could watch and enjoy WWF wrestling. And see my favorite tag teams The Body Donnas and The Quebecers, in action.
Barenaked Ladies - Stunt: One Week, It's All Been Done, Call and Answer, Alcohol
I remember seeing the music video of the Barenaked Ladies singles One Week and It's All Been Done. At first I was amazed at the versatility of the band. For instance, it had two lead singers, Steven Page and Ed Robertson. They could rap in One Week, and belt out a corny old fashioned song in It's All Been Done, complete with hand claps, and whoo hoo hoo's. I got their CD of course, which opened up an entirely new musical experience. I remember listening to their song Alcohol and thinking "now that's a song I can relate to".
New Radicals/Jennifer Paige - You Get What You Give, Technicolor Lover, Crush, Sober
The year was 1999, a particularly carefree and prosperous time. We didn't worry about terrorism, or global warming, or nuclear weapons… just this little thing called Y2K that could result in worldwide destruction but could be fixed in software. The year also was the source of one of the best surreal listening experiences I had, courtesy of the (now disbanded) New Radicals and Jennifer Paige. Their songs epitomized the emotions of that era.
You Get What You Give has a nice uplifting, yet slightly rebellious message. Technicolor Lover - the unreleased song is a guilty pleasure of mine, as well as Paige's Crush, which I felt was overplayed, yet still retained its fresh quality. Sober could probably be one of the most underrated songs ever made, and the best music video ever made.
Barenaked Ladies - Maroon: Conventioneers, Sell Sell Sell, Baby Seat
When I first heard Maroon, Barenaked Ladies' follow up to Stunt, I was disappointed. It didn't have the catchy stuff that their previous album had. So I gave it one or two listens, and promptly stashed the CD. Only to uncover it several years later. That's when I "got it". And it's now my most favorite BNL album so far. To really appreciate it, you have to listen closely to the lyrics. I love the song 'Sell Sell Sell' because it's so over the top, in a ridiculously exaggerated way, describing in vivid detail the whole situation of the song.
CAKECAST - CAKE Finally Does Europe
This was a fantastic listening experience! Probably the best, most surreal listening I've had so far. Here's what happened. CAKE was supposed to go to Europe for a couple of live concerts. Then 9/11 hit, and their whole Europe tour dates were canceled. So to fix this, they played a live concert freely available via yahoo on the internet.
By this time, it had been more than five years since I first heard Rock n' Roll Lifestyle. And I had forgotten about CAKE. But I gave this a try, and the floodgates opened. I loved the songs. I loved how honest and sarcastic John Mccrea could be in the webcast. And of course I heard all the songs released by the band that I've missed all this years. I remember listening to the webcast from the office late at night, then coming home close to 12 midnight, feeling all pumped up.
Suzanne Vega - Caramel, World Before Columbus, Thin Man, Stockings
I only remembered Suzanne Vega from her hits Tom's Diner and Luka. They were ok songs, but nothing really remarkable about them. That changed completely after I listened to her Retrospective - Best of Suzanne Vega collection, along with the Nine Objects of Desire CD. I didn't realize that such rich songs with great lyrics, some of them dark, some of them amusing, existed. Although this particular set from Nine Objects reminds me of a sad, empty time in my life, I still love these songs for the imagery they give.
David Benoit/Smash Mouth - Then the Morning Comes
How can the same song sound so different, yet so good in both its instrumental (Benoit) and singing (Smash Mouth) forms? And for some reason, I felt like I could totally relate to Smash Mouth's lyrics, as if it was a wake up call to get up and make a comeback from obscurity.
Barenaked Ladies - Gordon: Hello City, Box Set
Ironically, the first Barenaked Ladies CD released was the last one I bought. This completes my BNL collection. To my surprise, I had another enjoyable time listening to this one, in particular the two songs Hello City and Box Set. Hello City is actually a hate song directed towards a particular city that the band performed in which they weren't treated well. Amusing because it sounds 'feel-good', yet filled with sarcasm. And my favorite song in this one is Box Set which describes how the band will eventually fade into obscurity. They tell the story of how they will release their complete collection on a single box set. The lyrics mention "Disc one it's where we begun, it's all our greatest hits" which is kind of self-fulfilling as BNL released their greatest hits CD with the title: "Disc One - all our greatest hits".
Frente - Horrible, Jungle
I remember many days of driving in the rain and darkness during the rainy season listening to Frente. First of all, Angie Hart has probably the most attractive female vocals in history. Second, these are excellent 60's-style songs, but made with an edge to it. The songs are all about depression, self-hate, jealousy, low self-esteem, only sung in Angie Hart's angelic voice. Is this good or what?
Barenaked Ladies/Frente - Footprints, Let the Sunshine In
Footprints came from Barenaked Ladies' first Christmas CD. Only a few songs were good, but I felt that Footprints stood out. There are several interpretations to the song, but I prefer my own interpretation that it is a song about a stalker in Christmas time. That thought alone qualifies the listening as a surreal experience in my book. It was during this time that I played Frente's 'Let the Sunshine In' repeatedly. Even though it had nothing to do with Christmas, it felt like a Christmas song.
Suzanne Vega - Knight Moves
Listening to this song puts me in another world and sends chills across my skin. It's a very honest song, one in which many thoughts are jumbled up. There is pleading, negotiating, reasoning out, and a lot of random ideas blurted out. Suzanne Vega described it as coming from many of the conversations she had with friends and acquaintances in the city.
Tears For Fears - Call Me Mellow, Everybody Loves a Happy Ending
Tears for Fears makes a triumphant comeback! I was instantly blown away with their single Call Me Melow. It felt Beatle-esque, yet unique, with booming vocals and a rich array of instruments to back up Orzabal's voice. The song Everybody Loves a Happy Ending will take over your thoughts and inspire you to do greater things than you thought you could accomplish. OK maybe I'm overselling the song a bit, but check out these lyrics: "Wake up you're on your own agenda. Give up the great pretender. With baby eyes of green. Wake up you're holding on to nothing. You know you're only bluffing. As dead as autumn leaves."
What bothered me was that none of the singles amounted to a radio hit in the US. These were fantastic, one of a kind songs, yet were largely ignored. This was when I realized that no longer were the Top 40 hits on radio a reliable measure of good music. I had to search and find on my own the music I really liked. A new era in what was once popular music.
CAKE - Pressure Chief: No Phone, Carbon Monoxide, Tougher Than it is, Guitar Man
This was the highlight of 2004 for me. Strange that a music CD would be a highlight, but it was. I had super-high expectations for CAKE's Pressure Chief, being four years since their last album and the CAKECAST. And to my amazement it even exceeded my expectations.
Two factors made this a great listening experience. I was out of town for a whole week for work, leaving the day the CD had arrived. I rushed to get in a couple of listens before taking off. It was also a particularly stressful week out, making coming back to Pressure Chief much more enjoyable. Another factor was seeing CAKE live in concert a week or so after the CD was out. I didn't realize there was that many CAKE fans who knew and loved the lyrics and songs that were a part of me. This made it more special. All in all, this ranks up there with CAKECAST.
Minnie Driver/New Order/Weezer - Complicated Man, Krafty, Beverly Hills
Last year was kind of a boring year, but a couple of underrated artists more than made up for it with their unique brand of music. I was excited to hear Krafty by New Order. It was like the 80's new wave tune reinvented for modern times. Again, I was disappointed that it didn't become a hit on radio. Beverly Hills by Weezer did become a minor hit, and had that good loser lyrics and catchy tune. Finally, the surprise was Minnie Driver (yes, the actress) performing this bonus single on Carson Daly called 'Complicated Man'. Wow, what a song. I'm still not tired of listening to this threesome of unique 2005 songs up to now.
Now you know the greatest musical experiences I've had so far. To save on space, I neglected to mention a few that were equally memorable. Maybe I'll write about them next time.
CAKE/Juliana Hatfield - Rock n' Roll Lifestyle, Universal Heart-Beat
Rock n' Roll Lifestyle was the first CAKE song I heard. I remember thinking it had a very unique, honest feel to it. In the first place, there was more talking than singing, and some chorus chants in the background. Great lyrics too such as: "And how long will the workers keep building him new ones… (chant) as long as you're drinking those red white and blue ones." I felt I was entering a new undiscovered musical era.
There was this other song that was a minor hit on the same station that played Rock n' Roll Lifestyle. It was Juliana Hatfield's Universal Heart-Beat, which had equally disturbing lyrics: "Beauty can be sad. You're proof of that. When the damage is done, you're damaged goods." Combined with extending a single syllable "heart" to fill in an entire verse. I kept thinking of these two songs for the duration of 1995, which coincided with the first time I was out of school. There was just something cool about both songs.
Lizards Convention - Wooden Heart, Rock the Boat
A short time after, this small Singaporean band composed of teenagers had a minor hit across southeast asia - Wooden Heart, a remake of the Elvis Presley song. I was also pleasantly surprised to hear that their other song 'Rock the Boat' (also a remake) was as good or even better than their radio hit Wooden Heart. What made this a great listening experience was that it brings back memories of the time I spent playing basketball with co-dangerous review roehl and a bunch of fun guys. We also started having cable at home where I could watch and enjoy WWF wrestling. And see my favorite tag teams The Body Donnas and The Quebecers, in action.
Barenaked Ladies - Stunt: One Week, It's All Been Done, Call and Answer, Alcohol
I remember seeing the music video of the Barenaked Ladies singles One Week and It's All Been Done. At first I was amazed at the versatility of the band. For instance, it had two lead singers, Steven Page and Ed Robertson. They could rap in One Week, and belt out a corny old fashioned song in It's All Been Done, complete with hand claps, and whoo hoo hoo's. I got their CD of course, which opened up an entirely new musical experience. I remember listening to their song Alcohol and thinking "now that's a song I can relate to".
New Radicals/Jennifer Paige - You Get What You Give, Technicolor Lover, Crush, Sober
The year was 1999, a particularly carefree and prosperous time. We didn't worry about terrorism, or global warming, or nuclear weapons… just this little thing called Y2K that could result in worldwide destruction but could be fixed in software. The year also was the source of one of the best surreal listening experiences I had, courtesy of the (now disbanded) New Radicals and Jennifer Paige. Their songs epitomized the emotions of that era.
You Get What You Give has a nice uplifting, yet slightly rebellious message. Technicolor Lover - the unreleased song is a guilty pleasure of mine, as well as Paige's Crush, which I felt was overplayed, yet still retained its fresh quality. Sober could probably be one of the most underrated songs ever made, and the best music video ever made.
Barenaked Ladies - Maroon: Conventioneers, Sell Sell Sell, Baby Seat
When I first heard Maroon, Barenaked Ladies' follow up to Stunt, I was disappointed. It didn't have the catchy stuff that their previous album had. So I gave it one or two listens, and promptly stashed the CD. Only to uncover it several years later. That's when I "got it". And it's now my most favorite BNL album so far. To really appreciate it, you have to listen closely to the lyrics. I love the song 'Sell Sell Sell' because it's so over the top, in a ridiculously exaggerated way, describing in vivid detail the whole situation of the song.
CAKECAST - CAKE Finally Does Europe
This was a fantastic listening experience! Probably the best, most surreal listening I've had so far. Here's what happened. CAKE was supposed to go to Europe for a couple of live concerts. Then 9/11 hit, and their whole Europe tour dates were canceled. So to fix this, they played a live concert freely available via yahoo on the internet.
By this time, it had been more than five years since I first heard Rock n' Roll Lifestyle. And I had forgotten about CAKE. But I gave this a try, and the floodgates opened. I loved the songs. I loved how honest and sarcastic John Mccrea could be in the webcast. And of course I heard all the songs released by the band that I've missed all this years. I remember listening to the webcast from the office late at night, then coming home close to 12 midnight, feeling all pumped up.
Suzanne Vega - Caramel, World Before Columbus, Thin Man, Stockings
I only remembered Suzanne Vega from her hits Tom's Diner and Luka. They were ok songs, but nothing really remarkable about them. That changed completely after I listened to her Retrospective - Best of Suzanne Vega collection, along with the Nine Objects of Desire CD. I didn't realize that such rich songs with great lyrics, some of them dark, some of them amusing, existed. Although this particular set from Nine Objects reminds me of a sad, empty time in my life, I still love these songs for the imagery they give.
David Benoit/Smash Mouth - Then the Morning Comes
How can the same song sound so different, yet so good in both its instrumental (Benoit) and singing (Smash Mouth) forms? And for some reason, I felt like I could totally relate to Smash Mouth's lyrics, as if it was a wake up call to get up and make a comeback from obscurity.
Barenaked Ladies - Gordon: Hello City, Box Set
Ironically, the first Barenaked Ladies CD released was the last one I bought. This completes my BNL collection. To my surprise, I had another enjoyable time listening to this one, in particular the two songs Hello City and Box Set. Hello City is actually a hate song directed towards a particular city that the band performed in which they weren't treated well. Amusing because it sounds 'feel-good', yet filled with sarcasm. And my favorite song in this one is Box Set which describes how the band will eventually fade into obscurity. They tell the story of how they will release their complete collection on a single box set. The lyrics mention "Disc one it's where we begun, it's all our greatest hits" which is kind of self-fulfilling as BNL released their greatest hits CD with the title: "Disc One - all our greatest hits".
Frente - Horrible, Jungle
I remember many days of driving in the rain and darkness during the rainy season listening to Frente. First of all, Angie Hart has probably the most attractive female vocals in history. Second, these are excellent 60's-style songs, but made with an edge to it. The songs are all about depression, self-hate, jealousy, low self-esteem, only sung in Angie Hart's angelic voice. Is this good or what?
Barenaked Ladies/Frente - Footprints, Let the Sunshine In
Footprints came from Barenaked Ladies' first Christmas CD. Only a few songs were good, but I felt that Footprints stood out. There are several interpretations to the song, but I prefer my own interpretation that it is a song about a stalker in Christmas time. That thought alone qualifies the listening as a surreal experience in my book. It was during this time that I played Frente's 'Let the Sunshine In' repeatedly. Even though it had nothing to do with Christmas, it felt like a Christmas song.
Suzanne Vega - Knight Moves
Listening to this song puts me in another world and sends chills across my skin. It's a very honest song, one in which many thoughts are jumbled up. There is pleading, negotiating, reasoning out, and a lot of random ideas blurted out. Suzanne Vega described it as coming from many of the conversations she had with friends and acquaintances in the city.
Tears For Fears - Call Me Mellow, Everybody Loves a Happy Ending
Tears for Fears makes a triumphant comeback! I was instantly blown away with their single Call Me Melow. It felt Beatle-esque, yet unique, with booming vocals and a rich array of instruments to back up Orzabal's voice. The song Everybody Loves a Happy Ending will take over your thoughts and inspire you to do greater things than you thought you could accomplish. OK maybe I'm overselling the song a bit, but check out these lyrics: "Wake up you're on your own agenda. Give up the great pretender. With baby eyes of green. Wake up you're holding on to nothing. You know you're only bluffing. As dead as autumn leaves."
What bothered me was that none of the singles amounted to a radio hit in the US. These were fantastic, one of a kind songs, yet were largely ignored. This was when I realized that no longer were the Top 40 hits on radio a reliable measure of good music. I had to search and find on my own the music I really liked. A new era in what was once popular music.
CAKE - Pressure Chief: No Phone, Carbon Monoxide, Tougher Than it is, Guitar Man
This was the highlight of 2004 for me. Strange that a music CD would be a highlight, but it was. I had super-high expectations for CAKE's Pressure Chief, being four years since their last album and the CAKECAST. And to my amazement it even exceeded my expectations.
Two factors made this a great listening experience. I was out of town for a whole week for work, leaving the day the CD had arrived. I rushed to get in a couple of listens before taking off. It was also a particularly stressful week out, making coming back to Pressure Chief much more enjoyable. Another factor was seeing CAKE live in concert a week or so after the CD was out. I didn't realize there was that many CAKE fans who knew and loved the lyrics and songs that were a part of me. This made it more special. All in all, this ranks up there with CAKECAST.
Minnie Driver/New Order/Weezer - Complicated Man, Krafty, Beverly Hills
Last year was kind of a boring year, but a couple of underrated artists more than made up for it with their unique brand of music. I was excited to hear Krafty by New Order. It was like the 80's new wave tune reinvented for modern times. Again, I was disappointed that it didn't become a hit on radio. Beverly Hills by Weezer did become a minor hit, and had that good loser lyrics and catchy tune. Finally, the surprise was Minnie Driver (yes, the actress) performing this bonus single on Carson Daly called 'Complicated Man'. Wow, what a song. I'm still not tired of listening to this threesome of unique 2005 songs up to now.
Now you know the greatest musical experiences I've had so far. To save on space, I neglected to mention a few that were equally memorable. Maybe I'll write about them next time.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Lady in the Water
Lady in the Water is M. Night Shyamalan's latest movie. I've only been waiting for this one for the past two years or so. So I had very high expectations. Plus, I actually watched this on the very first night it was released, on a Friday.
And it didn't disappoint. This was good.
In fact, I was totally engrossed in this one. The characters were real. Heck, I felt like I was in the movie, just like one of the apartment dwellers residing in Cleveland Heep's residential complex.
It reminded me of when I was a kid, when I would make up lots of stories to tell my brother. I'd have different characters, each with his or her nuances. Sometimes the stories would make sense, oftentimes they were too ambitious causing the plot to crumble (like the time I created a 'princess' in an earlier part, then totally forgot about her in the end, which prompted my brother to laugh and ask "what about the princess?"). Lady in the Water resembles a lot of my childhood imagination, stories where anything goes.
It is also a movie about my friends and acquaintances. It was like M. Night made a movie that described some of my dreams where friends and people from all places would get together in one fable. I would love to watch this film with them. Though I'm not sure if they will relate to this as much as I do.
Like Shyamalan's past films, he leads you into thinking one way, then swerves in another direction. For instance, Signs isn't really about aliens, Unbreakable isn't about invulnerability, and The Village isn't about monsters. This movie is advertised as a fairy tale. And while it does have some fairy tale parts, I believe it's really about something else.
I'm predicting that a lot of people will hate this movie. It's the type that will disappoint those looking for quick thrills or amusing diversions. You won't get that here. In fact, while I was watching in the moviehouse, I noticed a couple walk out in the middle of the film. And after it ended, I overheard one teenager proclaim "This is the worst movie I've ever seen!" M. Night's critics will bemoan the fact that he gave himself another significant acting role in his own movie. Plus, it doesn't follow the usual formula we've all been accustomed to watching. I just hope people don't hate this too much.
Some parts that I felt could be improved: I thought some of the more important details had to be emphasized and explained as the storytelling can get fast and confusing. It is easy to lose track of the characters. I also found the cookbook writer's sister to be irritating at times, and didn't contribute much to the story. The character of 'Story' could also use some work as she oftentimes slowed down the pacing of the film, breaking the momentum.
What I loved about Lady in the Water is how it creates special meaning out of commonplace people and things. How each seemingly insignificant group of characters find themselves having special significance. And how it is told with such realism, that things even fall apart, then come back together.
Rating: 5/5 * * * * *
Something special
(Minor spoilers in the comments section, where I discuss some plot details and special meanings in the movie. -rob)
And it didn't disappoint. This was good.
In fact, I was totally engrossed in this one. The characters were real. Heck, I felt like I was in the movie, just like one of the apartment dwellers residing in Cleveland Heep's residential complex.
It reminded me of when I was a kid, when I would make up lots of stories to tell my brother. I'd have different characters, each with his or her nuances. Sometimes the stories would make sense, oftentimes they were too ambitious causing the plot to crumble (like the time I created a 'princess' in an earlier part, then totally forgot about her in the end, which prompted my brother to laugh and ask "what about the princess?"). Lady in the Water resembles a lot of my childhood imagination, stories where anything goes.
It is also a movie about my friends and acquaintances. It was like M. Night made a movie that described some of my dreams where friends and people from all places would get together in one fable. I would love to watch this film with them. Though I'm not sure if they will relate to this as much as I do.
Like Shyamalan's past films, he leads you into thinking one way, then swerves in another direction. For instance, Signs isn't really about aliens, Unbreakable isn't about invulnerability, and The Village isn't about monsters. This movie is advertised as a fairy tale. And while it does have some fairy tale parts, I believe it's really about something else.
I'm predicting that a lot of people will hate this movie. It's the type that will disappoint those looking for quick thrills or amusing diversions. You won't get that here. In fact, while I was watching in the moviehouse, I noticed a couple walk out in the middle of the film. And after it ended, I overheard one teenager proclaim "This is the worst movie I've ever seen!" M. Night's critics will bemoan the fact that he gave himself another significant acting role in his own movie. Plus, it doesn't follow the usual formula we've all been accustomed to watching. I just hope people don't hate this too much.
Some parts that I felt could be improved: I thought some of the more important details had to be emphasized and explained as the storytelling can get fast and confusing. It is easy to lose track of the characters. I also found the cookbook writer's sister to be irritating at times, and didn't contribute much to the story. The character of 'Story' could also use some work as she oftentimes slowed down the pacing of the film, breaking the momentum.
What I loved about Lady in the Water is how it creates special meaning out of commonplace people and things. How each seemingly insignificant group of characters find themselves having special significance. And how it is told with such realism, that things even fall apart, then come back together.
Rating: 5/5 * * * * *
Something special
(Minor spoilers in the comments section, where I discuss some plot details and special meanings in the movie. -rob)
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
the king of torts - john grisham
clay carter was a long time public defender who wasnt happy with his job. there was little money too little life and too much work. his long time girlfriend rebecca van horn, who works for the government, was thinking of breaking up with him, unless he gives in to the wishes of her parents. they want him to go corporate. where the money is. they dont like clay. they dont take kindly to people who dont have fortunes to spend. they hate clay and vice versa. rebecca and clay eventually broke up. much to the pressure of her parents.
one day, he was approached by french (french is a first name) who convinced him to file a mass tort case against a drug company which distributed some bad drug. the drug had a side effect of making a person who took it to commit homicide. it didnt matter when or who.
the key to making the money was to have the families of the homicide victims to settle (to keep their mouth shut). the drug company would pay them hundreds of millions. which will include the lawyer's fees.
the story now turns into a roller coaster of money making at the expense of drug companies which made mistakes. these companies are forced to settle. they pay huge huge amounts of money to settle. little of it trickle to the claimants who took their bad drug. a lot of it goes to the mass tort lawyer. the newspapers had by now picked up his scent. of having acquired enormous amounts of wealth at a short span of time. they dubbed him the "the king of torts". suddenly, he had tons of friends. assets. one very pretty model. and made enemies as well.
i would stop here as i think you too probably already know whats about to happen next ...
rating - 2 out of 5 **
too predictable
one day, he was approached by french (french is a first name) who convinced him to file a mass tort case against a drug company which distributed some bad drug. the drug had a side effect of making a person who took it to commit homicide. it didnt matter when or who.
the key to making the money was to have the families of the homicide victims to settle (to keep their mouth shut). the drug company would pay them hundreds of millions. which will include the lawyer's fees.
the story now turns into a roller coaster of money making at the expense of drug companies which made mistakes. these companies are forced to settle. they pay huge huge amounts of money to settle. little of it trickle to the claimants who took their bad drug. a lot of it goes to the mass tort lawyer. the newspapers had by now picked up his scent. of having acquired enormous amounts of wealth at a short span of time. they dubbed him the "the king of torts". suddenly, he had tons of friends. assets. one very pretty model. and made enemies as well.
i would stop here as i think you too probably already know whats about to happen next ...
rating - 2 out of 5 **
too predictable
Sunday, July 09, 2006
What Not to Miss
We're more than halfway through this year and I'm a bit worried. Why? Because so far I have yet to hear a truly great and memorable song for 2006. If this trend continues I won't have a 'top 5' song list at the end of the year. We had a couple of great new songs released last year, but this year seems pretty barren.
I've also read only a handful of books, so I've got to catch up in order to have enough to make a 'best books of the year' list. This is my fault as I've been preoccupied with some urgent stuff the first half of the year. I should have more reading time this second half. I've got a huge backlog piled up and plan to order some more books soon.
Movie-wise, this has been a pretty mediocre year, just like last year. I have yet to watch a good movie and I don't want to waste any more cash on watching films that don't do it for me. I've got my hopes pinned on 'Lady in the Water', M. Night Shyamalan's first movie since 2004. This looks like a good one. Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth' looks interesting too, a must-own DVD as well as book.
What makes me excited is that a couple of my favorite bands are releasing new CDs within the next few months.
Suzanne Vega released her "Live at Montreux" live concert DVD late last year, and I just got it a month ago. Haven't listened to it yet, but I will shortly. She is also reportedly working on her next album, which I am excitedly awaiting.
CAKE has a new album coming up! Alas, it's also a live concert CD, but that's good enough. They are looking for suggestions as to which live recordings should be included in the release. I'm hoping they include a live 'You Part the Waters' and 'Italian Leather Sofa' together with their staple songs. You can get all the latest CAKE news from their site (they also have an advice column, check it out).
Now for some great news, yes Barenaked Ladies, after a long three year wait, will be releasing their new album 'Barenaked Ladies Are Me' this September. The first single 'Easy' is already out. Yay!
By some coincidence, both CAKE and BNL have split from their recording studios, electing to go independent. I am both excited and fearful at the same time as it isn't easy to promote and publicize your own music. Having two of my favorite bands take this unconvential indy route gives me a greater stake in seeing independent music producers becoming successful.
What else, there's this plan for Angie Hart, former lead singer of Frente, to go solo. I read about it in her blog (yes she has a blog, and it's your typical personal journal at that). Having Ms. Hart with the angellic voice go solo would be a dream come true for many long suffering Frente fans.
Here's the best news yet. This is something I've been pulling for for a long time. Remember Sixpence None the Richer? They disbanded right? Never hear any music from them again. Hold on, because Leigh Nash is back! Yes she is recording a soon to be released album, most likely out by this year. Some samples of her new songs are also available. What a pleasant surprise.
My fantasy scenario is for CAKE, Barenaked Ladies, Suzanne Vega, Angie Hart, and Leigh Nash to all release new albums late this year. My CD player will be playing nonstop until Christmas. 2006 will go from a barren year to one of the best years for music.
I've also read only a handful of books, so I've got to catch up in order to have enough to make a 'best books of the year' list. This is my fault as I've been preoccupied with some urgent stuff the first half of the year. I should have more reading time this second half. I've got a huge backlog piled up and plan to order some more books soon.
Movie-wise, this has been a pretty mediocre year, just like last year. I have yet to watch a good movie and I don't want to waste any more cash on watching films that don't do it for me. I've got my hopes pinned on 'Lady in the Water', M. Night Shyamalan's first movie since 2004. This looks like a good one. Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth' looks interesting too, a must-own DVD as well as book.
What makes me excited is that a couple of my favorite bands are releasing new CDs within the next few months.
Suzanne Vega released her "Live at Montreux" live concert DVD late last year, and I just got it a month ago. Haven't listened to it yet, but I will shortly. She is also reportedly working on her next album, which I am excitedly awaiting.
CAKE has a new album coming up! Alas, it's also a live concert CD, but that's good enough. They are looking for suggestions as to which live recordings should be included in the release. I'm hoping they include a live 'You Part the Waters' and 'Italian Leather Sofa' together with their staple songs. You can get all the latest CAKE news from their site (they also have an advice column, check it out).
Now for some great news, yes Barenaked Ladies, after a long three year wait, will be releasing their new album 'Barenaked Ladies Are Me' this September. The first single 'Easy' is already out. Yay!
By some coincidence, both CAKE and BNL have split from their recording studios, electing to go independent. I am both excited and fearful at the same time as it isn't easy to promote and publicize your own music. Having two of my favorite bands take this unconvential indy route gives me a greater stake in seeing independent music producers becoming successful.
What else, there's this plan for Angie Hart, former lead singer of Frente, to go solo. I read about it in her blog (yes she has a blog, and it's your typical personal journal at that). Having Ms. Hart with the angellic voice go solo would be a dream come true for many long suffering Frente fans.
Here's the best news yet. This is something I've been pulling for for a long time. Remember Sixpence None the Richer? They disbanded right? Never hear any music from them again. Hold on, because Leigh Nash is back! Yes she is recording a soon to be released album, most likely out by this year. Some samples of her new songs are also available. What a pleasant surprise.
My fantasy scenario is for CAKE, Barenaked Ladies, Suzanne Vega, Angie Hart, and Leigh Nash to all release new albums late this year. My CD player will be playing nonstop until Christmas. 2006 will go from a barren year to one of the best years for music.
Eyes Wide Shut
A warning, I have yet to meet anyone who actually liked this movie, which is interesting because this ranks as one of my all-time favorites.
Eyes Wide Shut was the last movie directed by Stanley Kubrick, and I believe he died before it was finished. It casts Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman as a married couple having difficulties. I'll give a quick plot summary without revealing any spoilers. Wife (Kidman) admits to her doctor husband (Cruise) that she had previous thoughts about having an affair. The relative of a dying patient makes a house call late at night, prompting the doctor to make a late night visit. What follows next are some of the most bizarre scenes you will witness. There is a surprising admission, encounter with a prostitute, a cult, an orgy, and many others. You'll just have to watch it to believe.
I remember the first time I saw this movie, I thought I sensed a pattern. That something out of the ordinary with a bit of shock value will occur on every extended scene. These scenes are played very realistically which I love. The dialog is slow but interesting. Every character has quirky nuances that will make you believe they are real. The music pounds you like a heartbeat, and if you're like me, soon you will be totally immersed in this film. You will feel like a part of it, perhaps seeing the perverse city through Tom Cruise's character.
This movie also raises so many interesting questions and dilemmas. I was very tense and frightened during the cult/orgy part, as well as the final scene with the mask. But I remember my companions in the moviehouse not being affected, even quite bored with it, and I was curious as to why it seemed I was the only one so affected by this movie. I guess having a big imagination helps.
The main character starts out very innocently, not knowing much about the city he is in. Yet he gets to see the best and worst of human nature after venturing out on his own. There is no violence or gore in this film, but I found some of the scenes a bit disturbing because of the different ideas that were presented. It was disturbing in a good way, as I felt I had been exposed to something out of the ordinary.
I also learned that this movie was based on the novel 'Traumaville' by Arthur Schtizner which was translated to english under the title 'Rhapsody: A Dream Novel'. This is one book I've got to read after I fully recover from Eyes Wide Shut.
The big mystery for me is why many people hate this movie. With other unusual films, I can understand why it can be boring or uninteresting to watch for some. But this to me has real hollywood entertainment value. It can be disturbing or slow, but not boring I think. This is that rare movie that stays with you long after you watch it.
Rating: 5/5 * * * * *
A classic dark adventure which will make you think
Eyes Wide Shut was the last movie directed by Stanley Kubrick, and I believe he died before it was finished. It casts Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman as a married couple having difficulties. I'll give a quick plot summary without revealing any spoilers. Wife (Kidman) admits to her doctor husband (Cruise) that she had previous thoughts about having an affair. The relative of a dying patient makes a house call late at night, prompting the doctor to make a late night visit. What follows next are some of the most bizarre scenes you will witness. There is a surprising admission, encounter with a prostitute, a cult, an orgy, and many others. You'll just have to watch it to believe.
I remember the first time I saw this movie, I thought I sensed a pattern. That something out of the ordinary with a bit of shock value will occur on every extended scene. These scenes are played very realistically which I love. The dialog is slow but interesting. Every character has quirky nuances that will make you believe they are real. The music pounds you like a heartbeat, and if you're like me, soon you will be totally immersed in this film. You will feel like a part of it, perhaps seeing the perverse city through Tom Cruise's character.
This movie also raises so many interesting questions and dilemmas. I was very tense and frightened during the cult/orgy part, as well as the final scene with the mask. But I remember my companions in the moviehouse not being affected, even quite bored with it, and I was curious as to why it seemed I was the only one so affected by this movie. I guess having a big imagination helps.
The main character starts out very innocently, not knowing much about the city he is in. Yet he gets to see the best and worst of human nature after venturing out on his own. There is no violence or gore in this film, but I found some of the scenes a bit disturbing because of the different ideas that were presented. It was disturbing in a good way, as I felt I had been exposed to something out of the ordinary.
I also learned that this movie was based on the novel 'Traumaville' by Arthur Schtizner which was translated to english under the title 'Rhapsody: A Dream Novel'. This is one book I've got to read after I fully recover from Eyes Wide Shut.
The big mystery for me is why many people hate this movie. With other unusual films, I can understand why it can be boring or uninteresting to watch for some. But this to me has real hollywood entertainment value. It can be disturbing or slow, but not boring I think. This is that rare movie that stays with you long after you watch it.
Rating: 5/5 * * * * *
A classic dark adventure which will make you think
Cathy Dennis - Into the Skyline
I was a big fan of Cathy Dennis back in college. She was the early 90's queen of pop, best known for her hit songs 'Too Many Walls' and 'Touch Me'. This is a review of her second album 'Into the Skyline' which didn't quite match the popularity of her initial singles. I had the original cassette tape and acquired the CD version just over a month ago (actually I had bought a used CD copy several years before but stupidly left it behind at home, so I had to buy another copy).
True, this was a very important CD to me as I considered her music as very influential to my growing up as the songs come attached to many memories. One of the fun parts about being a fan is having to endure the ridicule of the Pearl Jam/Nirvana/Spin Doctors crowd (although I actually also liked The Spin Doctors back then) which were plentiful back then. Ahhh... the good ol' days.
I felt a tinge of apprehension as I opened the case and started re-listening to the old songs. I was afraid I may no longer appreciate her music as I did back then. Or that they wouldn't sound as good as before. The mark of a good artist is when you listen to the same songs many years later they still retain their power and have the same effect to you as they did when you first heard them. And the good news was, that Cathy Dennis magic was still there.
There are two types of songs in this album: the pop/dance tunes, and the ballads. Though 'Into the Skyline' will be remembered for its singles 'You Lied To Me' and 'Irresistible', its best kept secret will be its wonderful ballads. 'Being With You' is feel-good, sugary sweet. 'Moments of Love' is rich, cool, and haunting. While 'Our True Emotions' is the song that I only appreciated after being more than a decade older.
The pop/dance songs such as We've Got To Fight, You Lied To Me, and Irresistible are nice nostalgia plays. I hate to admit this, I've always been inspired the lyrics to We've Got To Fight: "We've got to fight... for what's right... in this world." It reminds me that we've got to keep striving for good even when things are bad.
But my new favorite song here is 'Change Will Come'. I liked this back in college, but it wasn't exactly my favorite. I remember back then during periods when my prospects weren't so good, and when I felt down on my luck. But I would hear this song and know that 'Change Will Come'. It's as relevant today as it was back then. A great inspirational song.
I know that I'm out of place
But I know you're just wasting time
Your life is your own to waste
But I won't have you wasting mine
Change will come
If you believe
Change will come
Do you hear me
Everybody's sayin' change will come
What good is the quick escape
When the problem is here inside
Life can be a better place
If you'll only believe in time
Change will come
Through you and me
Yeah
Change will come
Do you hear me
Everybody's sayin' change will come
She's no longer active in singing, but she's been very active composing one hit song after another. What do 'Toxic' (Britney Spears), Can't Get You Out of My Head (Kylie Minogue), 'Never Had a Dream Come True' (S-Club 7), as well as the American Idol theme song have in common? They were all composed by Cathy Dennis. Now what I want to see is a recording comeback.
Rating: 4/5 * * * *
Irresistible
True, this was a very important CD to me as I considered her music as very influential to my growing up as the songs come attached to many memories. One of the fun parts about being a fan is having to endure the ridicule of the Pearl Jam/Nirvana/Spin Doctors crowd (although I actually also liked The Spin Doctors back then) which were plentiful back then. Ahhh... the good ol' days.
I felt a tinge of apprehension as I opened the case and started re-listening to the old songs. I was afraid I may no longer appreciate her music as I did back then. Or that they wouldn't sound as good as before. The mark of a good artist is when you listen to the same songs many years later they still retain their power and have the same effect to you as they did when you first heard them. And the good news was, that Cathy Dennis magic was still there.
There are two types of songs in this album: the pop/dance tunes, and the ballads. Though 'Into the Skyline' will be remembered for its singles 'You Lied To Me' and 'Irresistible', its best kept secret will be its wonderful ballads. 'Being With You' is feel-good, sugary sweet. 'Moments of Love' is rich, cool, and haunting. While 'Our True Emotions' is the song that I only appreciated after being more than a decade older.
The pop/dance songs such as We've Got To Fight, You Lied To Me, and Irresistible are nice nostalgia plays. I hate to admit this, I've always been inspired the lyrics to We've Got To Fight: "We've got to fight... for what's right... in this world." It reminds me that we've got to keep striving for good even when things are bad.
But my new favorite song here is 'Change Will Come'. I liked this back in college, but it wasn't exactly my favorite. I remember back then during periods when my prospects weren't so good, and when I felt down on my luck. But I would hear this song and know that 'Change Will Come'. It's as relevant today as it was back then. A great inspirational song.
I know that I'm out of place
But I know you're just wasting time
Your life is your own to waste
But I won't have you wasting mine
Change will come
If you believe
Change will come
Do you hear me
Everybody's sayin' change will come
What good is the quick escape
When the problem is here inside
Life can be a better place
If you'll only believe in time
Change will come
Through you and me
Yeah
Change will come
Do you hear me
Everybody's sayin' change will come
She's no longer active in singing, but she's been very active composing one hit song after another. What do 'Toxic' (Britney Spears), Can't Get You Out of My Head (Kylie Minogue), 'Never Had a Dream Come True' (S-Club 7), as well as the American Idol theme song have in common? They were all composed by Cathy Dennis. Now what I want to see is a recording comeback.
Rating: 4/5 * * * *
Irresistible
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Magnolia
At first glance, Magnolia appeared to be the type of movie I would enjoy.
Unconvential plot - check.
Weird story and characters - check.
Dark theme - check.
Then I watched the first hour. It wasn't good. But I said to myself, "let's give this a chance, it might get better."
So I watched the second hour. Still not good. This was looking like a disaster. By this time I had invested two hours of my life watching this film. What the heck, might as well finish it, after all, I had only one hour left to go. Maybe there will be some plot twist in the end, some big payoff, some mind-bending profound ending that will give me inspiration and insight in my lonely life.
I watched the third hour.
Then the frogs fell. The movie ended.
There was no payoff. There was no big twist. It was a total waste of time.
Sure, you had Tom Cruise in a minor role, Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, William H. Macy, even Roehl's favorite Philip Seymour Hoffman. So this had to be good right?
There are so many bad things about this movie I don't know where to start.
Let's talk about the good things. Julianne Moore in the drug store scene where she freaks out. That's it. OK, maybe the scene where Cruise and Hoffman are in at the same time, but it was only good because I could joke that they were both in MI3.
This is a really bad movie. It is boring, pointless, melodramatic, nonsensical, and anticlimactic. And it is three hours long.
In fact, it's probably one of the worst movies ever made. And I really wanted to like it. Too bad.
Rating: 1/5 *
Sucks.
Unconvential plot - check.
Weird story and characters - check.
Dark theme - check.
Then I watched the first hour. It wasn't good. But I said to myself, "let's give this a chance, it might get better."
So I watched the second hour. Still not good. This was looking like a disaster. By this time I had invested two hours of my life watching this film. What the heck, might as well finish it, after all, I had only one hour left to go. Maybe there will be some plot twist in the end, some big payoff, some mind-bending profound ending that will give me inspiration and insight in my lonely life.
I watched the third hour.
Then the frogs fell. The movie ended.
There was no payoff. There was no big twist. It was a total waste of time.
Sure, you had Tom Cruise in a minor role, Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, William H. Macy, even Roehl's favorite Philip Seymour Hoffman. So this had to be good right?
There are so many bad things about this movie I don't know where to start.
Let's talk about the good things. Julianne Moore in the drug store scene where she freaks out. That's it. OK, maybe the scene where Cruise and Hoffman are in at the same time, but it was only good because I could joke that they were both in MI3.
This is a really bad movie. It is boring, pointless, melodramatic, nonsensical, and anticlimactic. And it is three hours long.
In fact, it's probably one of the worst movies ever made. And I really wanted to like it. Too bad.
Rating: 1/5 *
Sucks.
Thursday, June 08, 2006
The Revenge of Retro
At the start of this year, I had two main predictions: (1) This would essentially be a boring year where nothing happens, (2) All things retro will make a comeback.
You could say that prediction #1 was more of wishful thinking on my part. I had enough excitement the past few years and for a change, wanted a quiet easy-going next twelve months.
But prediction #2 was more of a hunch based on some perceived trends where we seemed to be going back to simpler, older stuff, as much of our pop culture had gotten too complicated. Plus, it was also a bit of wishful thinking as by now, most of you know I am a huge retro fan (as are many of my closest friends).
Firstly, I was mildly pleased to see Martina Hingis make a tennis comeback this year. She even has a chance to win the French Open. I think I stopped watching tennis after both she and Michael Chang retired.
We also get to hear a lot more of the europop music that was very popular in the 80's. They still don't capture the mainstream (much "popular" music we hear on the radio is still crap), but at least it is a step in the right direction. European-based music is where it's at, I believe. It's like a cycle, where they peaked in the late 80's, then lying low for a decade or two before eventually returning. I want to see a new British invasion.
But the 'aha' moment for me was when the underdog Nintendo Wii turned out to be the biggest hit in the last E3. Gamers lined up for hours to get a chance to try out the simpler, more fun Wii, with its simple yet innovative controller. I also liked that the new Nintendo will allow us to download and play all the old school Nintendo games. So now you can play old school Excitebike and the newer ExciteTruck on the same system! Plus, it looks like Duck Hunt will be getting a makeover too. What's amazing is that gamers love it. I hope this encourages game developers to focus more on fun and less on graphics and shooting.
Another good thing is the upcoming release of Will Wright's Spore. You may remember Will Wright as the creator of SimCity and The Sims. His new game encompasses the evolution of a new species. You start as a small organism, evolve into a land creature, form tribes, develop new technology and skills, conquer the planet, and eventually colonize the stars. Spore has the potential to be the most amazing game ever made.
Couch Entertainment is going retro too. I have recently cut down my TV in favor of listening to podcasts over the internet. A podcast is essentially an online radio show. This reminds me when I was younger, I would listen to the radio every school night. My favorites were the call-in talk shows where hosts and people discuss the issues of the day. I also liked this radio station (RK 96 if I remember), where the DJs actually discussed the songs that are played. Plus, every Friday was 'retro night'. Now it seems strange to have a retro night back in the 80's when we were essentially in a retro era. Still that was a great time. And I was very disappointed when one of the local stations here that used to play 80's songs all weekend switched to a new programming format that had limited new wave play.
Even the Internet seems to be in a renaissance phase. You've got all these great websites (youtube.com, pandora.com and others) that allow you to discover great music and catch up on a lot of the oldies that were fun to listen to before and still great to listen to now. I will post some of my youtube favorites in a future article.
Retro is back, man. And it's only going to get better in the future. Especially when an entirely new era of 'retro' takes hold, and we find ourselves once again reliving the old retro while living in the new one.
You could say that prediction #1 was more of wishful thinking on my part. I had enough excitement the past few years and for a change, wanted a quiet easy-going next twelve months.
But prediction #2 was more of a hunch based on some perceived trends where we seemed to be going back to simpler, older stuff, as much of our pop culture had gotten too complicated. Plus, it was also a bit of wishful thinking as by now, most of you know I am a huge retro fan (as are many of my closest friends).
Firstly, I was mildly pleased to see Martina Hingis make a tennis comeback this year. She even has a chance to win the French Open. I think I stopped watching tennis after both she and Michael Chang retired.
We also get to hear a lot more of the europop music that was very popular in the 80's. They still don't capture the mainstream (much "popular" music we hear on the radio is still crap), but at least it is a step in the right direction. European-based music is where it's at, I believe. It's like a cycle, where they peaked in the late 80's, then lying low for a decade or two before eventually returning. I want to see a new British invasion.
But the 'aha' moment for me was when the underdog Nintendo Wii turned out to be the biggest hit in the last E3. Gamers lined up for hours to get a chance to try out the simpler, more fun Wii, with its simple yet innovative controller. I also liked that the new Nintendo will allow us to download and play all the old school Nintendo games. So now you can play old school Excitebike and the newer ExciteTruck on the same system! Plus, it looks like Duck Hunt will be getting a makeover too. What's amazing is that gamers love it. I hope this encourages game developers to focus more on fun and less on graphics and shooting.
Another good thing is the upcoming release of Will Wright's Spore. You may remember Will Wright as the creator of SimCity and The Sims. His new game encompasses the evolution of a new species. You start as a small organism, evolve into a land creature, form tribes, develop new technology and skills, conquer the planet, and eventually colonize the stars. Spore has the potential to be the most amazing game ever made.
Couch Entertainment is going retro too. I have recently cut down my TV in favor of listening to podcasts over the internet. A podcast is essentially an online radio show. This reminds me when I was younger, I would listen to the radio every school night. My favorites were the call-in talk shows where hosts and people discuss the issues of the day. I also liked this radio station (RK 96 if I remember), where the DJs actually discussed the songs that are played. Plus, every Friday was 'retro night'. Now it seems strange to have a retro night back in the 80's when we were essentially in a retro era. Still that was a great time. And I was very disappointed when one of the local stations here that used to play 80's songs all weekend switched to a new programming format that had limited new wave play.
Even the Internet seems to be in a renaissance phase. You've got all these great websites (youtube.com, pandora.com and others) that allow you to discover great music and catch up on a lot of the oldies that were fun to listen to before and still great to listen to now. I will post some of my youtube favorites in a future article.
Retro is back, man. And it's only going to get better in the future. Especially when an entirely new era of 'retro' takes hold, and we find ourselves once again reliving the old retro while living in the new one.
Basia on Broadway
This is essentially Basia's greatest hits performed live complete with band and backup singers. It was recorded back in 1994 on Broadway.
This brings me back to the time when Basia was at the top of the recording industry. Everyone remembers the massive hits 'Time and Tide' and 'Promises'. For me that was a rich and bizarre era in music, when a few jazz-inspired songs made it to mainstream.
She pulls out all the stops in this performance, with an all-female chorus backup, blaring trumpets, concert piano, and drums. This is the CD you play when you want to show off your stereo system. This is live music of very high quality.
Here are a couple of my favorite performances in this album:
Copernicus - This is the opening number and sets the tone of the entire album. It is an extremely fast song which jumps all over the place. Sounds a lot like the opening of a show or musical play.
Cruising for Bruising - Great voice, Basia sings in a low key the majority of the song. One thing I like about her is that she can sing low and powerful at the same time.
Third Time Lucky - One of the great melodies and cute background vocals. This live version also sounds better than the original studio recording.
Baby You're Mine - The song has a soft bossa nova guitar background and smooth tempo. I enjoyed the low/high pitch blending. This is probably the catchiest song in the album which you will find yourself humming to long after you stop listening.
Promises/Time and Tide - You already know these songs. The studio recordings sound better than the live ones, particularly for Time and Tide. But they are still Basia staples and fun to listen to.
Take Him Back Rachel - I've never heard this song before. I love it! It has a great title and I like straightforward simple lyrics. Plus it drones on and on with the 'take him back Rachel' part. Makes me wish I knew a Rachel that broke up with a friend of mine, so I could sing this to her.
Until You Come Back to Me - As they played the intro to this song, one excited Basia fan shouted out the title. One of her more popular tunes and an instant classic. This probably sounds better live.
Two of my favorite Basia songs weren't included here, notably 'Go For You' and 'Waters of March' (you know this as the Ayala Center song). I admit they probably wouldn't showcase her live singing abilities, but still it would be nice to have them in this compilation.
All in all, great CD, high quality feel-good music. Future generations will no doubt rediscover Basia.
Rating: 4/5 * * * *
Fun listening and top quality.
This brings me back to the time when Basia was at the top of the recording industry. Everyone remembers the massive hits 'Time and Tide' and 'Promises'. For me that was a rich and bizarre era in music, when a few jazz-inspired songs made it to mainstream.
She pulls out all the stops in this performance, with an all-female chorus backup, blaring trumpets, concert piano, and drums. This is the CD you play when you want to show off your stereo system. This is live music of very high quality.
Here are a couple of my favorite performances in this album:
Copernicus - This is the opening number and sets the tone of the entire album. It is an extremely fast song which jumps all over the place. Sounds a lot like the opening of a show or musical play.
Cruising for Bruising - Great voice, Basia sings in a low key the majority of the song. One thing I like about her is that she can sing low and powerful at the same time.
Third Time Lucky - One of the great melodies and cute background vocals. This live version also sounds better than the original studio recording.
Baby You're Mine - The song has a soft bossa nova guitar background and smooth tempo. I enjoyed the low/high pitch blending. This is probably the catchiest song in the album which you will find yourself humming to long after you stop listening.
Promises/Time and Tide - You already know these songs. The studio recordings sound better than the live ones, particularly for Time and Tide. But they are still Basia staples and fun to listen to.
Take Him Back Rachel - I've never heard this song before. I love it! It has a great title and I like straightforward simple lyrics. Plus it drones on and on with the 'take him back Rachel' part. Makes me wish I knew a Rachel that broke up with a friend of mine, so I could sing this to her.
Until You Come Back to Me - As they played the intro to this song, one excited Basia fan shouted out the title. One of her more popular tunes and an instant classic. This probably sounds better live.
Two of my favorite Basia songs weren't included here, notably 'Go For You' and 'Waters of March' (you know this as the Ayala Center song). I admit they probably wouldn't showcase her live singing abilities, but still it would be nice to have them in this compilation.
All in all, great CD, high quality feel-good music. Future generations will no doubt rediscover Basia.
Rating: 4/5 * * * *
Fun listening and top quality.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
the producers (the movie)
the producers, produced by mel brooks, is a film based on a broadway play about a musical. it has two main characters played by nathan lane (the scheming broadway producer) and matthew broderick (the neurotic accountant). matthew was dissatisfied with his life as an accountant and has decided to produce a play with nathan that will bomb in the ticket sales. this maneuver would somehow earn them both a lot of money. im not sure how that works.
for the play to suck, they had to choose a story and unsuitable actors to play the characters, that will repulse people. but this plan backfired and the play became an instant hit.
with the absence of broadway plays where im at, i thought seeing a film version is an adequate replacement.
another observation. uma thurman has very very very long legs.
rating: 3 out of 5
entertaining and hilarious
for the play to suck, they had to choose a story and unsuitable actors to play the characters, that will repulse people. but this plan backfired and the play became an instant hit.
with the absence of broadway plays where im at, i thought seeing a film version is an adequate replacement.
another observation. uma thurman has very very very long legs.
rating: 3 out of 5
entertaining and hilarious
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Cover Songs Even Better Than The Original
Good songs don't fade away - rather, they are remade and repackaged in a different form for the newer generations to enjoy. Artists will frequently cover a popular oldie and make it their own. And people listening to the cover song for the first time may actually think it's an entirely new composition.
Some cover songs are dreadful. They don't add anything new to the original and frequently even ruin what was once a classic. The A-Teens remakes of the ABBA hits is one good example of this. It pains me to hear good songs being remade into bad ones.
Then there is that rare breed of cover song that improves on the original. These are remakes that add flavor and sometimes provide a different angle on a popular song. A great remake has the magic of the original, while at the same time adding an edge to it. These are cover songs that end up surpassing and eventually supplanting the original. Here is a list of better-than-original remakes:
Don't Make Me Over - Sybil
(original song by Dionne Warwick)
Here's one cover I enjoy listening to. It adds an emotional punch to the original through Sybil's melodic voice that lingers on the chorus. It ventures into unfamiliar territory by blending slightly off key vocals to produce a totally unique sound. It moves an established R&B hit into smooth jazz territory.
Wooden Heart - The Lizards Convention
(original song by Elvis Presley)
I'm amazed at the creativity that this small Singaporean band displayed in totally revising and remaking an Elvis original. They sound like different songs altogether. In my opinion, the original was kind of lackluster, but I guess The Lizards saw something in it, and revised the tempo, gave it a female voice, and made it into a kickass ballad worth remembering.
I Will Survive - CAKE
(original by Gloria Gaynor)
Most people think this is CAKE's way of mocking the original Gloria Gaynor rendition. But John McCrea actually said in an interview that he liked the original 'I Will Survive' and this was his way of paying tribute. There are several key differences between the two. The original was a song about positive resolve and liberation, while the remake is actually kind of down, sarcastic and even angry. The original was a disco hit that closely matched its fancy tempo, while CAKE's doesn't even try to match the vocals to the music, lagging by half a step the entire song. The original had nice clean lyrics. While CAKE modified it slightly with the line "I should have changed my fucking lock" which I felt was more appropriate. CAKE's version added an edge to a 70's classic, and succeeded in creating something totally new.
Don't Leave Me This Way - The Communards
(original by Thelma Houston)
OK, the original Thelma Houston version is pretty good too. I enjoy them both. In fact, this is one of my favorite songs of all time in any form, whether sung disco-style like the original, 80's new wave style like The Communards, or even karaoke-style sung by complete strangers. The Communards added their own twist to it by singing falsetto the entire way while at the same time upping the feel-good energy factor by a couple of notches. The music video is good too.
Tainted Love - Soft Cell
(original by Gloria Jones)
Bet you didn't know this was a remake. I didn't know either. In fact, I confess I haven't heard the original version. But I'm still 100% sure that Soft Cell's Tainted Love rendition will be better. Why? Because this stands as one of the best new wave songs ever made. It also contains the best synthesized riffs in music history - a killer intro followed by 'Sometimes I feel I've got to.... run away, I've got to... get away...' It was also sampled in Rhianna's Rescue Me SOS, nice.
When You Say Nothing At All - Ronan Keating/Alison Krauss
(original by Keith Whitley)
This is debatable because there are times when I think the Keith Whitley country original is superior to its remakes. But I do like the Ronan Keating and Alison Krauss versions. Keating punctuates it with a slightly off-key, irish accented chorus which adds emotion and depth to the song (plus it sounded great in the movie Notting Hill). Alison Krauss had the sweeter all around melodic vocals that is easy to fall in love to.
I'll Always Love You - Vina Morales
(original by Michael Johnson)
I'm going to commit sacrilege and and say that I liked Vina Morales version of this timeless classic better than the original. OK, OK, I know in the grand scheme of things, Michael Johnson's original will probably be judged better by almost everyone. In fact I know some people who feverently detest the Vina Morales remake, calling it an insult to the original tune, and I understand their viewpoint. Johnson's version was more heartfelt, emotional, sad, matching the mood of the lyrics more accurately. In contrast, Vina's version was happy, cheerful, cute, and in no way matched the lyrics. In fact it made no sense to sing it this way because this was a song about a breakup. It just doesn't match up. However, I like irony and contrasts in my music, and this gave a good vibe, so I'm picking it.
Have I missed any other good cover songs?
Some cover songs are dreadful. They don't add anything new to the original and frequently even ruin what was once a classic. The A-Teens remakes of the ABBA hits is one good example of this. It pains me to hear good songs being remade into bad ones.
Then there is that rare breed of cover song that improves on the original. These are remakes that add flavor and sometimes provide a different angle on a popular song. A great remake has the magic of the original, while at the same time adding an edge to it. These are cover songs that end up surpassing and eventually supplanting the original. Here is a list of better-than-original remakes:
Don't Make Me Over - Sybil
(original song by Dionne Warwick)
Here's one cover I enjoy listening to. It adds an emotional punch to the original through Sybil's melodic voice that lingers on the chorus. It ventures into unfamiliar territory by blending slightly off key vocals to produce a totally unique sound. It moves an established R&B hit into smooth jazz territory.
Wooden Heart - The Lizards Convention
(original song by Elvis Presley)
I'm amazed at the creativity that this small Singaporean band displayed in totally revising and remaking an Elvis original. They sound like different songs altogether. In my opinion, the original was kind of lackluster, but I guess The Lizards saw something in it, and revised the tempo, gave it a female voice, and made it into a kickass ballad worth remembering.
I Will Survive - CAKE
(original by Gloria Gaynor)
Most people think this is CAKE's way of mocking the original Gloria Gaynor rendition. But John McCrea actually said in an interview that he liked the original 'I Will Survive' and this was his way of paying tribute. There are several key differences between the two. The original was a song about positive resolve and liberation, while the remake is actually kind of down, sarcastic and even angry. The original was a disco hit that closely matched its fancy tempo, while CAKE's doesn't even try to match the vocals to the music, lagging by half a step the entire song. The original had nice clean lyrics. While CAKE modified it slightly with the line "I should have changed my fucking lock" which I felt was more appropriate. CAKE's version added an edge to a 70's classic, and succeeded in creating something totally new.
Don't Leave Me This Way - The Communards
(original by Thelma Houston)
OK, the original Thelma Houston version is pretty good too. I enjoy them both. In fact, this is one of my favorite songs of all time in any form, whether sung disco-style like the original, 80's new wave style like The Communards, or even karaoke-style sung by complete strangers. The Communards added their own twist to it by singing falsetto the entire way while at the same time upping the feel-good energy factor by a couple of notches. The music video is good too.
Tainted Love - Soft Cell
(original by Gloria Jones)
Bet you didn't know this was a remake. I didn't know either. In fact, I confess I haven't heard the original version. But I'm still 100% sure that Soft Cell's Tainted Love rendition will be better. Why? Because this stands as one of the best new wave songs ever made. It also contains the best synthesized riffs in music history - a killer intro followed by 'Sometimes I feel I've got to....
When You Say Nothing At All - Ronan Keating/Alison Krauss
(original by Keith Whitley)
This is debatable because there are times when I think the Keith Whitley country original is superior to its remakes. But I do like the Ronan Keating and Alison Krauss versions. Keating punctuates it with a slightly off-key, irish accented chorus which adds emotion and depth to the song (plus it sounded great in the movie Notting Hill). Alison Krauss had the sweeter all around melodic vocals that is easy to fall in love to.
I'll Always Love You - Vina Morales
(original by Michael Johnson)
I'm going to commit sacrilege and and say that I liked Vina Morales version of this timeless classic better than the original. OK, OK, I know in the grand scheme of things, Michael Johnson's original will probably be judged better by almost everyone. In fact I know some people who feverently detest the Vina Morales remake, calling it an insult to the original tune, and I understand their viewpoint. Johnson's version was more heartfelt, emotional, sad, matching the mood of the lyrics more accurately. In contrast, Vina's version was happy, cheerful, cute, and in no way matched the lyrics. In fact it made no sense to sing it this way because this was a song about a breakup. It just doesn't match up. However, I like irony and contrasts in my music, and this gave a good vibe, so I'm picking it.
Have I missed any other good cover songs?
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
The Best Songs of the New Millenium (Part 3 of 3)
The past two weeks, I've posted a bunch of songs that I thought were the best of the best of this decade so far. If you haven't read them yet, check out part 1 and part 2.
I've also forgotten some songs which deserved to be on the list, perhaps maybe in the top ten. One noteworthy song is 'Breathe Your Name' by Sixpence None the Richer. This was my top song for 2002. Did I mention that Leigh Nash looks stunning in the music video? A departure from her traditional Christian girl look. One other track to check out is 'Out of my League' by Stephen Speaks, I love the lyrics of that song.
Alright, here are the top five songs of the decade so far. In other words, the best songs that were released from the year 2000 up to the present. I've gone over the list numerous times, changing the order of the rankings more than once, evaluating each song meticulously to make sure I got it right. My top 3 picks are mostly even with each other, and each is a number one song in its own right. Depending on how gracefully these songs age, we could reorder them again when we come to the end of the decade.
One last thing, I reserve the right to be biased as it makes life more interesting.
5. Nobody's Fool - Avril Lavigne
I didn't take Avril Lavigne's first CD seriously. I thought she was a passing fad, popular at the moment, but easily forgotten. This song proves me wrong. And I also feel a little silly for making this number five but what the heck, it's one of my personal favorites. She raps, she sings, the song makes you feel good while listening to it, and it's about liberation and empowerment (I guess targeted for teenagers, but I'll ignore that just so I can enjoy this). Unexpectedly good and very underrated track.
4. No Phone - CAKE
This is from CAKE's latest CD and one of their best songs yet. I must warn you, the tune is extremely addictive and catchy. You will find yourself chanting over and over again to yourself "no phone". This song also has special meaning to me, as it captures my dislike for cellphones and its influence over modern society. No phone, no phone, I just want to be alone today. It just captures my whole emotion of despondence coupled with a lack of caring. Ten years from now, this song will be even ten times better.
3. Complicated Man - Minnie Driver
I was blown away with this song the first time I heard Minnie Driver sing it live on a late night talk show. I didn't even know she could sing. This song is very cool. Imagine an 80's style melody, combined with Driver's easy jazz type vocals, topped with some modern flair and interesting lyrics. By the way, I'm still looking for the complete lyrics to this song and for it be properly released as a single, rather than a bonus track in a Japanese Import CD. More than a year after first hearing it, I'm still not tired of listening. Plus I love murmuring the opening line of the song: "You turned out to be an ass like me..."
2. Then the Morning Comes - Smash Mouth
For some reason, I entirely missed hearing this masterpiece by Smash Mouth back in 2001. I heard the David Benoit instrumental version first, thinking this was some fine piece of work by Benoit. Only later to find out that this was actually an original Smash Mouth tune. To paraphrase Jim from The Office, I'm in love with this song. I wanna be more than friends with 'Then the Morning Comes'. It comes close to musical perfection. First of all, the singing and melody are extremely catchy and unique. You haven't listened to anything close to this. The lyrics are also something special, check this out:
You are you foe
Your friend
You are the paparazzi
You are the tragedian
Here's my favorite part:
And when it comes it moves so slow
Kinda like it's saying I told you so
Looking back before she goes
Tomorrow's gonna hurt
The words are kind of tough to decipher, and I guess it will mean different things to different people. Fortunately, I can personally relate to the lyrics. It's like it was describing my life in this decade. It's not often you get a song that is cool and personal at the same time. Makes me wonder why this isn't the number one.
1. In The End - Linkin Park
I'd like to congratulate Linkin Park for creating one of the best pure kickass songs ever made. This is a song about anger, betrayal, and revenge - in that precise order. It has every negative emotion you can find and that's why it's so good. The rap part is cool and calculating, the singing is intense and emotional. There's a story that's told that has a beginning and an ending. One of the best parts is the part where the lead vocal sings the same verse twice: "I've put my trust in you, pushed as far as I can go..." The first time is quite mellow, almost pleading. Then it repeats the same line, but this time with a more furious tone of voice. Same verse, entirely different meaning, pure genius. This song will age well over the next decades and will grow into a classic. And its popularity matches its quality which is a rare thing for a hit nowadays.
There you have it, the best songs of the new millenium. We're just about past the halfway point of this decade and I'm predicting the best song of this current time is still yet to be written.
I've also forgotten some songs which deserved to be on the list, perhaps maybe in the top ten. One noteworthy song is 'Breathe Your Name' by Sixpence None the Richer. This was my top song for 2002. Did I mention that Leigh Nash looks stunning in the music video? A departure from her traditional Christian girl look. One other track to check out is 'Out of my League' by Stephen Speaks, I love the lyrics of that song.
Alright, here are the top five songs of the decade so far. In other words, the best songs that were released from the year 2000 up to the present. I've gone over the list numerous times, changing the order of the rankings more than once, evaluating each song meticulously to make sure I got it right. My top 3 picks are mostly even with each other, and each is a number one song in its own right. Depending on how gracefully these songs age, we could reorder them again when we come to the end of the decade.
One last thing, I reserve the right to be biased as it makes life more interesting.
5. Nobody's Fool - Avril Lavigne
I didn't take Avril Lavigne's first CD seriously. I thought she was a passing fad, popular at the moment, but easily forgotten. This song proves me wrong. And I also feel a little silly for making this number five but what the heck, it's one of my personal favorites. She raps, she sings, the song makes you feel good while listening to it, and it's about liberation and empowerment (I guess targeted for teenagers, but I'll ignore that just so I can enjoy this). Unexpectedly good and very underrated track.
4. No Phone - CAKE
This is from CAKE's latest CD and one of their best songs yet. I must warn you, the tune is extremely addictive and catchy. You will find yourself chanting over and over again to yourself "no phone". This song also has special meaning to me, as it captures my dislike for cellphones and its influence over modern society. No phone, no phone, I just want to be alone today. It just captures my whole emotion of despondence coupled with a lack of caring. Ten years from now, this song will be even ten times better.
3. Complicated Man - Minnie Driver
I was blown away with this song the first time I heard Minnie Driver sing it live on a late night talk show. I didn't even know she could sing. This song is very cool. Imagine an 80's style melody, combined with Driver's easy jazz type vocals, topped with some modern flair and interesting lyrics. By the way, I'm still looking for the complete lyrics to this song and for it be properly released as a single, rather than a bonus track in a Japanese Import CD. More than a year after first hearing it, I'm still not tired of listening. Plus I love murmuring the opening line of the song: "You turned out to be an ass like me..."
2. Then the Morning Comes - Smash Mouth
For some reason, I entirely missed hearing this masterpiece by Smash Mouth back in 2001. I heard the David Benoit instrumental version first, thinking this was some fine piece of work by Benoit. Only later to find out that this was actually an original Smash Mouth tune. To paraphrase Jim from The Office, I'm in love with this song. I wanna be more than friends with 'Then the Morning Comes'. It comes close to musical perfection. First of all, the singing and melody are extremely catchy and unique. You haven't listened to anything close to this. The lyrics are also something special, check this out:
You are you foe
Your friend
You are the paparazzi
You are the tragedian
Here's my favorite part:
And when it comes it moves so slow
Kinda like it's saying I told you so
Looking back before she goes
Tomorrow's gonna hurt
The words are kind of tough to decipher, and I guess it will mean different things to different people. Fortunately, I can personally relate to the lyrics. It's like it was describing my life in this decade. It's not often you get a song that is cool and personal at the same time. Makes me wonder why this isn't the number one.
1. In The End - Linkin Park
I'd like to congratulate Linkin Park for creating one of the best pure kickass songs ever made. This is a song about anger, betrayal, and revenge - in that precise order. It has every negative emotion you can find and that's why it's so good. The rap part is cool and calculating, the singing is intense and emotional. There's a story that's told that has a beginning and an ending. One of the best parts is the part where the lead vocal sings the same verse twice: "I've put my trust in you, pushed as far as I can go..." The first time is quite mellow, almost pleading. Then it repeats the same line, but this time with a more furious tone of voice. Same verse, entirely different meaning, pure genius. This song will age well over the next decades and will grow into a classic. And its popularity matches its quality which is a rare thing for a hit nowadays.
There you have it, the best songs of the new millenium. We're just about past the halfway point of this decade and I'm predicting the best song of this current time is still yet to be written.
Monday, May 08, 2006
The Best Songs of the New Millenium (Part 2 of 3)
Last week I posted a list of songs that were released this decade that didn't make my top 10 best songs of the new millenium.
In compiling the list and ranking the songs, I came to realize that we actually have some pretty good songs released this decade. Only the truly good songs last, and the bad or fad songs are easily forgotten. The decade isn't over yet and I'm hoping we get lots more good stuff in the next five years.
In ranking the songs, I give plus points to those that were released earlier over those which were released just last year. This is in order to overcome any recent euphoria I felt towards newly released songs. For example, 'Krafty' is still pretty fresh in my mind so I may be a bit biased in favor of it. This makes the rating process more difficult. I tried hard to go back to the time when I first heard those songs released earlier this decade, and try to recall how I felt at the time. Mainly, those emotions I felt determine the ultimate rating. Actually it felt good recalling those older songs, it was like being in a time machine wherein I would go back to my thoughts and feelings at the time.
So without further ado, here are numbers six to ten:
10. Call Me Mellow - Tears for Fears
This song and the CD it came with was one of my favorites from 2004. It was very new and different to all the packaged stuff that was being played on the radio. Very refreshing sound, feel-good lyrics, and a Beatles 60's rythym.
9. Beverly Hills - Weezer
This will be a future sports anthem classic. Expect to hear this in NBA games and school events (in fact I heard it being played once in one of this year's NBA playoff games on TV). This could replace Queen's 'We Will Rock You' as the ultimate cheer song. And by the way, I like the lyrics, it describes how I feel about myself and the simple thought me and my friends had when we were in college.
8. Don't Call Me Baby - Madison Avenue
I bet you didn't expect this to be here. I thought this song captured the carefree spirit of the start of the new millenium. And it kind of reminds me of those yuppies who gather around Makati on Friday nights. The song is catchy, funny and was just right for the time. Too bad, the group Madison Avenue no longer exists. I can predict this song will be remade ten years from now and become an even bigger hit.
7. Me, Myself and I - Vitamin C
I have a confession to make. Yes, I own a Vitamin C CD. And when I first heard this on the radio I thought this song kicked ass. Then after thinking about it for a while, I thought I liked it only because I felt pretty good about myself the time I listened to it. But no, this song is really good. Extremely addictive pure pop music.
6. Krafty - New Order
This song is great because it is a throwback to 80's music and proves that New Order is better than ever. I listened to it over and over without getting tired of it. This will be a classic and will get even better the next few years. Good lyrics, good melody, good use of synthetic instruments, and just makes you feel good listening to it. It gives you a liberating outlook on life.
Up next: the top 5 songs of the new millenium and the shocking conclusion to the series.
In compiling the list and ranking the songs, I came to realize that we actually have some pretty good songs released this decade. Only the truly good songs last, and the bad or fad songs are easily forgotten. The decade isn't over yet and I'm hoping we get lots more good stuff in the next five years.
In ranking the songs, I give plus points to those that were released earlier over those which were released just last year. This is in order to overcome any recent euphoria I felt towards newly released songs. For example, 'Krafty' is still pretty fresh in my mind so I may be a bit biased in favor of it. This makes the rating process more difficult. I tried hard to go back to the time when I first heard those songs released earlier this decade, and try to recall how I felt at the time. Mainly, those emotions I felt determine the ultimate rating. Actually it felt good recalling those older songs, it was like being in a time machine wherein I would go back to my thoughts and feelings at the time.
So without further ado, here are numbers six to ten:
10. Call Me Mellow - Tears for Fears
This song and the CD it came with was one of my favorites from 2004. It was very new and different to all the packaged stuff that was being played on the radio. Very refreshing sound, feel-good lyrics, and a Beatles 60's rythym.
9. Beverly Hills - Weezer
This will be a future sports anthem classic. Expect to hear this in NBA games and school events (in fact I heard it being played once in one of this year's NBA playoff games on TV). This could replace Queen's 'We Will Rock You' as the ultimate cheer song. And by the way, I like the lyrics, it describes how I feel about myself and the simple thought me and my friends had when we were in college.
8. Don't Call Me Baby - Madison Avenue
I bet you didn't expect this to be here. I thought this song captured the carefree spirit of the start of the new millenium. And it kind of reminds me of those yuppies who gather around Makati on Friday nights. The song is catchy, funny and was just right for the time. Too bad, the group Madison Avenue no longer exists. I can predict this song will be remade ten years from now and become an even bigger hit.
7. Me, Myself and I - Vitamin C
I have a confession to make. Yes, I own a Vitamin C CD. And when I first heard this on the radio I thought this song kicked ass. Then after thinking about it for a while, I thought I liked it only because I felt pretty good about myself the time I listened to it. But no, this song is really good. Extremely addictive pure pop music.
6. Krafty - New Order
This song is great because it is a throwback to 80's music and proves that New Order is better than ever. I listened to it over and over without getting tired of it. This will be a classic and will get even better the next few years. Good lyrics, good melody, good use of synthetic instruments, and just makes you feel good listening to it. It gives you a liberating outlook on life.
Up next: the top 5 songs of the new millenium and the shocking conclusion to the series.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
The Best Songs of the New Millenium (Part 1 of 3)
Lately I've been listening to a lot of songs from the 80's and 90's. I always wondered why music from previous decades tend to be better than the current hits played on the radio. Then it hit me. The reason why old songs always sound better is due to natural selection - only the best songs from the past survive. True quality music has a long shelf life. It will be popular many years, many decades after it is released. In contrast, many songs are popular for a short time but don't have any nutritional value so they disappear fast and are forgotten. We only remember the really good songs and forget the bad ones. This is why old music always sounds better.
That said, I decided to undertake my most ambitious project ever for dangerous reviewers. I will play visionary and attempt to predict those songs from this decade will last the test of time. That is, which songs from the first decade of this new millenium will I fondly look back on 10, 20 years from now and proclaim them to be 'classics' from the past. The goal is to create a top 10 list of great songs released this decade (2000 to the present). And I'm actually gonna rank them from number ten to the number one song of the decade.
Due to the fairly ambitious scope, this will be a three-part series. So in this post, I merely list those songs that did not make the cut. These are songs I thought were noteworthy, some I consider excellent work, yet not top ten material. The next two parts will cover my ultimate top ten.
(Note: I reserve the right to be biased, it makes life more interesting.)
Songs that didn't make the cut, in no particular order:
All the Small Things - Blink 182
Circles Round the Moon - Geri Halliwell
Everybody Loves a Happy Ending - Tears for Fears
When It's Over - Sugar Ray
Follow Me - Uncle Kracker
Breathless - The Corrs
The Way I Am - Eminem
Answer the Phone - Sugar Ray
Boom - P.O.D.
The Reason - Hoobastank
Angel - Shaggy
Here's to the Night - Eve 6
Clint Eastwood - Gorillaz
Something to Talk About - Badly Drawn Boy
Complicated - Avril Lavigne
Widow's Walk - Suzanne Vega
Give Me a Reason - The Corrs
Butterfly - Crazy Town
Seasons in the Sun - Westlife
Beer for my Horses - Toby Keith and Willie Nelson
Soak up the Sun - Sheryl Crow
All the Things She Said - T.A.T.U.
Maybe Katie - Barenaked Ladies
Look What You've Done - Jet
This Love - Maroon 5
How You Remind Me - Nickelback
Coming up: The bottom half of the top ten.
That said, I decided to undertake my most ambitious project ever for dangerous reviewers. I will play visionary and attempt to predict those songs from this decade will last the test of time. That is, which songs from the first decade of this new millenium will I fondly look back on 10, 20 years from now and proclaim them to be 'classics' from the past. The goal is to create a top 10 list of great songs released this decade (2000 to the present). And I'm actually gonna rank them from number ten to the number one song of the decade.
Due to the fairly ambitious scope, this will be a three-part series. So in this post, I merely list those songs that did not make the cut. These are songs I thought were noteworthy, some I consider excellent work, yet not top ten material. The next two parts will cover my ultimate top ten.
(Note: I reserve the right to be biased, it makes life more interesting.)
Songs that didn't make the cut, in no particular order:
All the Small Things - Blink 182
Circles Round the Moon - Geri Halliwell
Everybody Loves a Happy Ending - Tears for Fears
When It's Over - Sugar Ray
Follow Me - Uncle Kracker
Breathless - The Corrs
The Way I Am - Eminem
Answer the Phone - Sugar Ray
Boom - P.O.D.
The Reason - Hoobastank
Angel - Shaggy
Here's to the Night - Eve 6
Clint Eastwood - Gorillaz
Something to Talk About - Badly Drawn Boy
Complicated - Avril Lavigne
Widow's Walk - Suzanne Vega
Give Me a Reason - The Corrs
Butterfly - Crazy Town
Seasons in the Sun - Westlife
Beer for my Horses - Toby Keith and Willie Nelson
Soak up the Sun - Sheryl Crow
All the Things She Said - T.A.T.U.
Maybe Katie - Barenaked Ladies
Look What You've Done - Jet
This Love - Maroon 5
How You Remind Me - Nickelback
Coming up: The bottom half of the top ten.
Monday, May 01, 2006
joyeux noel
it is written on the cover that it is a strue story. i distinctly remember that there had been a story about how a certain christmas song that became very popular during the first world war because of extra ordinary events happening that centered on that song. i am only familiar with very vague details about this war. it was never discussed in school as far as i can remember. so it inspired me to read about it in wikipedia. type first world war. wars are between nations / governments / kingdoms. wars are not between people. people are usually just dragged into one without realizing, or are misinformed of what they were fighting for. most people are forced into it.there were several plots. the first plot was between two opera singers who were lovers. they were german. they were initially separated since the guy was forced to join the war effort. the woman who wanted to be with her lover founded a way to be with him, by asking the german government if they could sing together. all in the service of the nation. the second plot was a priest and two of his sacristans. i wasnt sure which side of the war they were from. they sounded german though. the third plot was about a french man, his wife abroad, and his relationship with his father, who was also fighting the war at a different location.
it was the eve of christmas. every camp celebrated in their own way. the opera singers sang. to which the other camp over heard, where the priest was played bagpipes as accompaniment. the different leaders of each camp agreed to a ceasefire. until all camps exchanged gifts and stories. they got to know each other as people. they got each others symnpathies. they were in general, in agreement that they were in a war that they didnt want. it was moving. i say in general because there was one which had been taken over with hatred, because he lost his friend earlier (gunfire).
one particular scene which i thought was very important was about the seniour priest scolding our war priest of conniving with the enemy. the seniour priest then later held mass to new soldiers, to which he told lies about them. he painted a simple picture of good and evil. he manipulated and appealed to their emotions so that hatred will take hold of their hearts. much like of what we see of priests in the philippines, when they need their political agenda addressed.
rating: 3 out of 5
its out of season, but a good (true) story to watch
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
Conquest is probably the best Planet of the Apes movie among the ones I've seen so far.
(Warning: Contains minor spoilers on the series. If you haven't watched any of the Planet of the Apes movie before I suggest watching them first before reading this review.)
First, a brief backgrounder on the Apes movies. Each one starts out with some form of time travel, that is, going back or forward in time. Each one contains some thinly veiled social commentary on the nature of man or human relations. There is the requisite tragic ending - murder of the protagonists, discovery of the fate of the human race, and even the end of the world (yes, really). The best thing I like is the feeling that anything can happen in an Apes movie, no one is spared.
Conquest starts in a semi-futuristic earth, a couple of years after the death and murder of Cornelius and Zira, the talking apes from the far future. Their son, Caesar (as he will be named later on) and only descendant is now the property of a kind and very understanding circus owner played by Ricardo Montalban, who treats the ape like his own son and strives to protect him from the harsh reality of the world outside. Caesar is now the only talking ape in existence, having descended from Cornelius.
As the story goes, people started having these lovable apes as pets to replace their dogs and cats that perished in a plague. But the humans quickly discovered that the apes were intelligent and could quickly be trained to do various menial duties. The result is that the apes were made into slaves, meant to serve man. Many of them are cruelly treated and oppressed by sadistic owners, and frequently whipped into submission. Caesar sees all this and is profoundly affected. And you see his character develop throughout the film. He starts out as a naive, scared creature, and turns into a strong courageous leader of the ape slaves.
This is a great movie. Fun to watch from beginning to end. The transformation of Caesar is astonishing. The theme of the movie is pretty dark with none of the silliness or overacting of the earlier apes movies.
My only complaint is with the character MacDonald, one of the humans who sympathizes with the apes. I thought he went slightly over the top in doing too much to help Caesar escape, certainly a treasonous act which felt to me like he betrayed the human race, and he's supposed to be a good guy? His rationale for letting Caesar escape, that of being descended from slaves, was kind of lame. They could have redid the plot to make the MacDonald character, as well as the over the top villainous city governor more realistic.
The ending is pretty good, with a great speech by Caesar in the end. I read that they redid the ending slightly and added some parts to his speech because test audiences found the original ending too harsh. This was certainly a mistake. I liked the original speech as is. This isn't a feel good movie, so there is no need to make the events lighter to watch. The movie should have ended after Caesar mouths the words "And that day is upon you now.", no need to add anything else after that. But I'll just consider this a minor re-touch to make it more hollywood friendly and sell more tickets, so I can forgive them for that. Still, an excellent movie, highly recommended. Battle for the Planet of the Apes is next.
Rating: 4/5 * * * *
A classic.
(Warning: Contains minor spoilers on the series. If you haven't watched any of the Planet of the Apes movie before I suggest watching them first before reading this review.)
First, a brief backgrounder on the Apes movies. Each one starts out with some form of time travel, that is, going back or forward in time. Each one contains some thinly veiled social commentary on the nature of man or human relations. There is the requisite tragic ending - murder of the protagonists, discovery of the fate of the human race, and even the end of the world (yes, really). The best thing I like is the feeling that anything can happen in an Apes movie, no one is spared.
Conquest starts in a semi-futuristic earth, a couple of years after the death and murder of Cornelius and Zira, the talking apes from the far future. Their son, Caesar (as he will be named later on) and only descendant is now the property of a kind and very understanding circus owner played by Ricardo Montalban, who treats the ape like his own son and strives to protect him from the harsh reality of the world outside. Caesar is now the only talking ape in existence, having descended from Cornelius.
As the story goes, people started having these lovable apes as pets to replace their dogs and cats that perished in a plague. But the humans quickly discovered that the apes were intelligent and could quickly be trained to do various menial duties. The result is that the apes were made into slaves, meant to serve man. Many of them are cruelly treated and oppressed by sadistic owners, and frequently whipped into submission. Caesar sees all this and is profoundly affected. And you see his character develop throughout the film. He starts out as a naive, scared creature, and turns into a strong courageous leader of the ape slaves.
This is a great movie. Fun to watch from beginning to end. The transformation of Caesar is astonishing. The theme of the movie is pretty dark with none of the silliness or overacting of the earlier apes movies.
My only complaint is with the character MacDonald, one of the humans who sympathizes with the apes. I thought he went slightly over the top in doing too much to help Caesar escape, certainly a treasonous act which felt to me like he betrayed the human race, and he's supposed to be a good guy? His rationale for letting Caesar escape, that of being descended from slaves, was kind of lame. They could have redid the plot to make the MacDonald character, as well as the over the top villainous city governor more realistic.
The ending is pretty good, with a great speech by Caesar in the end. I read that they redid the ending slightly and added some parts to his speech because test audiences found the original ending too harsh. This was certainly a mistake. I liked the original speech as is. This isn't a feel good movie, so there is no need to make the events lighter to watch. The movie should have ended after Caesar mouths the words "And that day is upon you now.", no need to add anything else after that. But I'll just consider this a minor re-touch to make it more hollywood friendly and sell more tickets, so I can forgive them for that. Still, an excellent movie, highly recommended. Battle for the Planet of the Apes is next.
Rating: 4/5 * * * *
A classic.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Scary Movie 4
Scary Movie 4 spoofs and satirizes War of the Worlds, Saw 2, The Grudge, Million Dollar Baby, The Village, and numerous other films. I didn't have high expectations for this one and I left the moviehouse thinking I had wasted my time.
OK, I haven't seen War of the Worlds so I couldn't relate to any of the jokes regarding it, which was a major part of the film. I'm a big M. Night Shyamalan fan so I was pleased that they decided to spoof The Village. The jokes regarding The Grudge was kinda lame, I only found the japanese real estate agent funny. The Saw 2 jokes were unfunny. I actually laughed at the Million Dollar Baby ring scenes.
The presence of Anna Faris was probably the only one thing made this movie marginally worth watching? Beautiful, funny, and silly at the same time.
The ending? It was ridiculous. Yes I know it isn't supposed to make sense, that I shouldn't take this movie too seriously. Yet it was even more ridiculous than I thought, carelessly made ending that wasn't funny.
Rating: 2/5 * *
Not funny enough.
OK, I haven't seen War of the Worlds so I couldn't relate to any of the jokes regarding it, which was a major part of the film. I'm a big M. Night Shyamalan fan so I was pleased that they decided to spoof The Village. The jokes regarding The Grudge was kinda lame, I only found the japanese real estate agent funny. The Saw 2 jokes were unfunny. I actually laughed at the Million Dollar Baby ring scenes.
The presence of Anna Faris was probably the only one thing made this movie marginally worth watching? Beautiful, funny, and silly at the same time.
The ending? It was ridiculous. Yes I know it isn't supposed to make sense, that I shouldn't take this movie too seriously. Yet it was even more ridiculous than I thought, carelessly made ending that wasn't funny.
Rating: 2/5 * *
Not funny enough.
Derailed
Here's the plot for this movie in a nutshell without giving away any spoilers: Jennifer Aniston and Clive Owen are married to different people, they meet by chance in a train, one thing leads to another and they have an affair. Then something unexpected happens. Clive Owen ends up being blackmailed.
Owen's character is sheltered, quiet and clean. Yet he ends up having to deal with unsavory characters. He plunges himself to one dangerous situation after another putting him and his family's life in danger. For me this is the most compelling part of the movie, and also the most uncomfortable. There is a very dark and depressing scene with a prostitute and some corrupt cops that illustrates how much of a bind the hero gets himself into, and also how weak and vulnerable he is. It made me feel genuinely uncomfortable and distressed.
There is also a brutal scene that will leave a negative impact to the viewers, which I guess is its intent. What starts as an illicit love affair story ends up as more of a pessimistic diatribe on society. This movie is definitely not for kids. I do believe however that this is the intent of this film so it has achieved its goal.
Other scenes are quite silly, particularly the way Clive Owen's wife acts when confronted with an unknown stranger. I found myself at times shouting at the hero telling him for pete's sake to go to police and stop doing stupid things. Yet he continues making mistake after mistake, getting himself into deeper trouble.
All in all, quite a disturbing film. Not for everyone. If its intention is to shock and portray weak characters, then it has achieved its goal.
Rating: 3/5 * * *
Distressful and disruptive.
Owen's character is sheltered, quiet and clean. Yet he ends up having to deal with unsavory characters. He plunges himself to one dangerous situation after another putting him and his family's life in danger. For me this is the most compelling part of the movie, and also the most uncomfortable. There is a very dark and depressing scene with a prostitute and some corrupt cops that illustrates how much of a bind the hero gets himself into, and also how weak and vulnerable he is. It made me feel genuinely uncomfortable and distressed.
There is also a brutal scene that will leave a negative impact to the viewers, which I guess is its intent. What starts as an illicit love affair story ends up as more of a pessimistic diatribe on society. This movie is definitely not for kids. I do believe however that this is the intent of this film so it has achieved its goal.
Other scenes are quite silly, particularly the way Clive Owen's wife acts when confronted with an unknown stranger. I found myself at times shouting at the hero telling him for pete's sake to go to police and stop doing stupid things. Yet he continues making mistake after mistake, getting himself into deeper trouble.
All in all, quite a disturbing film. Not for everyone. If its intention is to shock and portray weak characters, then it has achieved its goal.
Rating: 3/5 * * *
Distressful and disruptive.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
The Most Entertaining Fiction Books of All Time
This is actually a list of fiction novels I've enjoyed the most. The books were evaluated solely on entertainment value, how pleasurable it was reading them. Here is my top ten:
10. The Firm - John Grisham
I consider the first of half this book to be a masterpiece of foreshadowing. This is the half where our new Harvard Grad and main protagonist gets the job offer of a lifetime from a large law firm. His new company encourages new employees to buy expensive houses, BMWs, and live a high cost life, all in an effort to keep them dependent on the firm. They give our hero an extremely challenging new project that turns out to be dummy projects to prepare them for their real clients who are less than honorable.
I liked the extreme attention to detail in the first half of the book. When the firm goes out of its way to hire fat unattractive secretaries to prevent distractions. Or how everything seems all fine and rosy on the surface, then when new associates get trapped by their extravagant lifestyle and mortgages, this is when the firm reveals its dark secret to them.
The second half of the book sort of deteriorated into a chaotic catch me if you can chase storyline which I didn't find as interesting. Also, I actually liked the ending of the movie better as I felt it was more realistic and had an ironic charm in itself. But other than that, the book is much more fun due to all the added details and nuances that are best described in text.
9. The Return of the King - J.R.R. Tolkien
The neat thing about this book is that the climactic finale where the ring is destroyed and Sauron is defeated actually occurs around two thirds of the way through the book. I remember reading this the first time and thinking to myself 'Huh? The fight's over but there are still dozens more pages left?' It turns out that the most enjoyable parts take place after the major conflicts ends. This is the part where our heroes, Frodo, Merry, Pippin head back to the Shire and retake it from some minor baddies. There are also bits and parts as to what happens to Gandalf, Aragorn (the king) and other former fellowship members after the great battle. Most books follow the formula of buildup to the climax, then ends abruptly with a good ending. Return of the King takes its time with a slow simmer, allowing the reader to savor the victory and celebrate with our heroes. It was cool (and realistic) to actually make the long trek back from Mordor, with some descriptions of how dangerous some of the places still were. This is what made it most fun to read.
8. Disclosure - Michael Crichton
By the way, I enjoyed the movie a lot, one of the rare film versions as good as the book. I also felt this book was more about corporate politics and high tech rather than being about sexual harassment. I could readily identify with Tom Sanders character as well as the rest of his team. I loved how he was able to turn around a difficult situation and salvage his reputation in the end. Lots of neat plot elements such as the mysterious "A Friend". All of the characters were interesting, in particular I liked the background description of the guy who used to be Tom Sanders best friend in the company, until the rigors of corporate life changed his friend until they grew distant to one another. Made me feel great about working in the computer industry. This is your classic page turner, extremely addictive and enjoyable.
7. The Fellowship of the Ring - J.R.R. Tolkien
I included this in my list because I was enamored with the concept of The Fellowship - a gathering of the best persons from each race, each with different motives and ideals, yet working together to fight a common enemy. Here we are treated to a suspensful hide and seek chapter where Frodo and the hobbits elude the dark riders. I also enjoyed the part where Frodo & co. got drunk in the bar, almost giving themselves away, and meeting Stryder aka Aragorn in the process.
For me, the best part of this book is the opening chapter where Bilbo throws this huge massive birthday party for himself. Lots of background descriptions of the different hobbits (in particular those nasty Sackville Baginnses), Gandalf having a frank talk to Bilbo about the ring, and Frodo getting ready to make his fateful trip out of the Shire. This was good because of the sharp contrast between the sheltered life of the Shire and the dark world outside its borders.
6. The Runaway Jury - John Grisham
This is Grisham's best work in my opinion. I sort of look at myself as a Nicholas Easter character (especially the opening line that mentions in jest his 'boyish good looks', hehehe). At first we don't know what his motives are, whether he is a tool of Big Tobacco, or an altruistic character with noble goals. There is also this mysterious woman who seems to work with Easter, yet we're not sure. We get clues though based on how Nicholas Easter subtly manipulates the jury, how he gains each jury members trust, and tries to get rid of the uncooperative members with some ruthlessness. Is he a good guy or a bad guy? We only find out in the end, an extremely satisfying finale.
Through the story, Grisham also educates us on the finer parts of jury selection, the process of how jury members are selected, what lawyers use to decide whether to accept or reject a potentional juror. There are also side stories of each juror that you will find interesting.
By the way, don't watch the movie version of this as it has almost no resemblance to the book and is crap.
5. Rising Sun - Michael Crichton
This book had a very interesting, inspired theme - how Japan is slowly taking over American business. In the late 80's and early 90's, many Japanese companies started investing heavily and acquiring numerous American companies. Think of Sony acquiring Columbia Pictures, and Japanese Auto Giants Toyota and Honda taking huge marketshare from traditional US auto companies. The hysteria was very real.
This is Crichton's most documentary-like book. We are treated to numerous chapters where the protagonists overhear conversations from businessmen (which is actually just a ploy to sneak in some of the documentary research in the book), talking about how Japanese companies are taking over the US. The two main protagonists are also very effective tools in explaining the facts to the readers. There is this master sensei character (Sean Connery for those who watched the movie), an American who has lived most of his life in Japan and is an expert in Japanese culture. It is through this character that we learn more about Japan's idiosyncracies and how it relates to the present time. The other character (Wesley Snipes in the movie) is your Dr. Watson, he is the link between the reader and the sensei. His sole purpose is to act dumb and ask questions to the sensei character so that we can learn more.
Since this was published, Japan went into a decade long recession, so much of this book will seem silly if read now. But I still consider this to extremely informative and fun to read at the same time. The most I've learned from a "fiction" book.
4. The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien
Ah, now we're getting to something. If you haven't read J.R.R.'s prequel to The Lord of the Rings, you've got to rush out and buy The Hobbit. The tone and ambiance is a stark contract to the dark and brooding nature of the LOTR books. Bilbo Braggins is one of the funniest and most endearing characters of all time (I laughed out loud in the part where he realizes he left his handkerchief back home). I kind of wish the Lord of the Rings series was as light-hearted as this book.
Bilbo Braggins is the unlikely hero. He started out as a total naive incompetent (How did he get Gandalf as a friend in the first place?). The dwarves have to bail him out everytime. But he ends up saving the day, rescuing the dwarves, leading them out of the dark forest, even fighting the dragon in the end. You will be amazed at the gradual, slow, complete turnaround from dope to hero. And you'll be rooting for Bilbo on every step.
3. The Godfather - Mario Puzo
This was the book where I felt the characters were alive. As if even when I stopped reading, they continued to live on because they were real. I marveled at how Michael Corleone went from a man who originally didn't want to have anything to do with his father's business to getting more and more entrenched in it. Mario Puzo revels in hyperbole and creating exagerrated, almost one-dimensional characters, but in a way that is totally believable and that works.
My favorite part was when Michael got exiled to Sicily. When he had to escape the country, living in relative peace with a new bride and friends, yet ended up getting dragged back to the troubles at home. Another neat part was when The Godfather arranged for a meeting with all the italian families and called for a truce. Actually there are so many good parts, so many neat side stories of the various characters that are linked to the Godfather one way or another.
The middle part gets boring. I'm referring to the Las Vegas storyline with Sonny's mistress, as well as a few of the young Godfather flashbacks. Although the young Godfather could be a book in itself as it describes how Vito Corleone started out and eventually became one of the most powerful men in New York.
The Godfather movies are ok, but are too short to enjoy all the finer details and nuances present in the book. So you've gotta read it to get the full enjoyment.
2. Contact - Carl Sagan
This was one of my favorite movies of all time, so I decided to read the book too, and was pleased at how much fun it was to read. Carl Sagan takes his own sweet time in telling the story, developing the characters, telling the story in his own unique style. It almost reads like a diary, dwelling on a certain event or plodding through different story arcs. Sometimes I felt like I was reading it as it happened in real time.
You have to be in the right frame of mind while reading this. Do not rush through, relax and read it slowly, you will feel as if you are a bystander watching the story unfold among familiar friends. If you have watched the movie, you will find the pace much slower, less dramatic, but more enjoyable. The story is a lot different too. For instance, in the movie only Jodie Foster makes the trip, while in the book she is accompanied by a whole crew. The ending is much better in the book too. In it, there is a neat epilogue which reveals the secret of the ancients. I loved, loved the epilogue.
Lots of geek stuff that even non techies will enjoy. My favorite part was when they were building the alien device based on the simplistic set of instructions that first laid the foundation building more and more complex sets until eventually you have the full system. There is also that feeling of uncertainty building a device that is inherently alien to the human race, something that may result in our own destruction. The book also contains some real good philosophical discussion on the nature of God and potential meanings of life. One of the best and most highly recommended.
1. Eaters of the Dead - Michael Crichton
This is my #1 most entertaining fiction book of all time. I never get tired of this Crichton classic. I probably read it three times already. I bet I would still enjoy reading this a fourth, fifth, or sixth time. Why is this book great? It's because the writing style is so cool, so different. It is written in the first person in journal form. You getto read the point of view of an observer trapped in a culture that is entirely foreign to him, so he describes everything in intricate detail with a mix of awe and disgust. But the observer gradually becames one of them and even ends up participating in their travels.
I learned later that this was Crichton's tribute to Beowulf and his take on Viking culture. Another well-researched book on his part, with just the right stuff to keep it as entertaining and educational as possible.
I consider the title 'Eaters of the Dead' to refer to a certain subplot in the story, that of this greatly feared race of half-neanderthal, half beast man-creature that are the ultimate savages. I cringed during the part where the observer and his compatriots discover the brutality left behind by the eaters of the dead. And the worst part is, they have to go to war against them! Can they actually win, will they survive at all.
It's like a fairy tale, historical narration, and horror novel, all rolled into one short but great book. And it just so happens to be the most fun book I've ever read.
10. The Firm - John Grisham
I consider the first of half this book to be a masterpiece of foreshadowing. This is the half where our new Harvard Grad and main protagonist gets the job offer of a lifetime from a large law firm. His new company encourages new employees to buy expensive houses, BMWs, and live a high cost life, all in an effort to keep them dependent on the firm. They give our hero an extremely challenging new project that turns out to be dummy projects to prepare them for their real clients who are less than honorable.
I liked the extreme attention to detail in the first half of the book. When the firm goes out of its way to hire fat unattractive secretaries to prevent distractions. Or how everything seems all fine and rosy on the surface, then when new associates get trapped by their extravagant lifestyle and mortgages, this is when the firm reveals its dark secret to them.
The second half of the book sort of deteriorated into a chaotic catch me if you can chase storyline which I didn't find as interesting. Also, I actually liked the ending of the movie better as I felt it was more realistic and had an ironic charm in itself. But other than that, the book is much more fun due to all the added details and nuances that are best described in text.
9. The Return of the King - J.R.R. Tolkien
The neat thing about this book is that the climactic finale where the ring is destroyed and Sauron is defeated actually occurs around two thirds of the way through the book. I remember reading this the first time and thinking to myself 'Huh? The fight's over but there are still dozens more pages left?' It turns out that the most enjoyable parts take place after the major conflicts ends. This is the part where our heroes, Frodo, Merry, Pippin head back to the Shire and retake it from some minor baddies. There are also bits and parts as to what happens to Gandalf, Aragorn (the king) and other former fellowship members after the great battle. Most books follow the formula of buildup to the climax, then ends abruptly with a good ending. Return of the King takes its time with a slow simmer, allowing the reader to savor the victory and celebrate with our heroes. It was cool (and realistic) to actually make the long trek back from Mordor, with some descriptions of how dangerous some of the places still were. This is what made it most fun to read.
8. Disclosure - Michael Crichton
By the way, I enjoyed the movie a lot, one of the rare film versions as good as the book. I also felt this book was more about corporate politics and high tech rather than being about sexual harassment. I could readily identify with Tom Sanders character as well as the rest of his team. I loved how he was able to turn around a difficult situation and salvage his reputation in the end. Lots of neat plot elements such as the mysterious "A Friend". All of the characters were interesting, in particular I liked the background description of the guy who used to be Tom Sanders best friend in the company, until the rigors of corporate life changed his friend until they grew distant to one another. Made me feel great about working in the computer industry. This is your classic page turner, extremely addictive and enjoyable.
7. The Fellowship of the Ring - J.R.R. Tolkien
I included this in my list because I was enamored with the concept of The Fellowship - a gathering of the best persons from each race, each with different motives and ideals, yet working together to fight a common enemy. Here we are treated to a suspensful hide and seek chapter where Frodo and the hobbits elude the dark riders. I also enjoyed the part where Frodo & co. got drunk in the bar, almost giving themselves away, and meeting Stryder aka Aragorn in the process.
For me, the best part of this book is the opening chapter where Bilbo throws this huge massive birthday party for himself. Lots of background descriptions of the different hobbits (in particular those nasty Sackville Baginnses), Gandalf having a frank talk to Bilbo about the ring, and Frodo getting ready to make his fateful trip out of the Shire. This was good because of the sharp contrast between the sheltered life of the Shire and the dark world outside its borders.
6. The Runaway Jury - John Grisham
This is Grisham's best work in my opinion. I sort of look at myself as a Nicholas Easter character (especially the opening line that mentions in jest his 'boyish good looks', hehehe). At first we don't know what his motives are, whether he is a tool of Big Tobacco, or an altruistic character with noble goals. There is also this mysterious woman who seems to work with Easter, yet we're not sure. We get clues though based on how Nicholas Easter subtly manipulates the jury, how he gains each jury members trust, and tries to get rid of the uncooperative members with some ruthlessness. Is he a good guy or a bad guy? We only find out in the end, an extremely satisfying finale.
Through the story, Grisham also educates us on the finer parts of jury selection, the process of how jury members are selected, what lawyers use to decide whether to accept or reject a potentional juror. There are also side stories of each juror that you will find interesting.
By the way, don't watch the movie version of this as it has almost no resemblance to the book and is crap.
5. Rising Sun - Michael Crichton
This book had a very interesting, inspired theme - how Japan is slowly taking over American business. In the late 80's and early 90's, many Japanese companies started investing heavily and acquiring numerous American companies. Think of Sony acquiring Columbia Pictures, and Japanese Auto Giants Toyota and Honda taking huge marketshare from traditional US auto companies. The hysteria was very real.
This is Crichton's most documentary-like book. We are treated to numerous chapters where the protagonists overhear conversations from businessmen (which is actually just a ploy to sneak in some of the documentary research in the book), talking about how Japanese companies are taking over the US. The two main protagonists are also very effective tools in explaining the facts to the readers. There is this master sensei character (Sean Connery for those who watched the movie), an American who has lived most of his life in Japan and is an expert in Japanese culture. It is through this character that we learn more about Japan's idiosyncracies and how it relates to the present time. The other character (Wesley Snipes in the movie) is your Dr. Watson, he is the link between the reader and the sensei. His sole purpose is to act dumb and ask questions to the sensei character so that we can learn more.
Since this was published, Japan went into a decade long recession, so much of this book will seem silly if read now. But I still consider this to extremely informative and fun to read at the same time. The most I've learned from a "fiction" book.
4. The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien
Ah, now we're getting to something. If you haven't read J.R.R.'s prequel to The Lord of the Rings, you've got to rush out and buy The Hobbit. The tone and ambiance is a stark contract to the dark and brooding nature of the LOTR books. Bilbo Braggins is one of the funniest and most endearing characters of all time (I laughed out loud in the part where he realizes he left his handkerchief back home). I kind of wish the Lord of the Rings series was as light-hearted as this book.
Bilbo Braggins is the unlikely hero. He started out as a total naive incompetent (How did he get Gandalf as a friend in the first place?). The dwarves have to bail him out everytime. But he ends up saving the day, rescuing the dwarves, leading them out of the dark forest, even fighting the dragon in the end. You will be amazed at the gradual, slow, complete turnaround from dope to hero. And you'll be rooting for Bilbo on every step.
3. The Godfather - Mario Puzo
This was the book where I felt the characters were alive. As if even when I stopped reading, they continued to live on because they were real. I marveled at how Michael Corleone went from a man who originally didn't want to have anything to do with his father's business to getting more and more entrenched in it. Mario Puzo revels in hyperbole and creating exagerrated, almost one-dimensional characters, but in a way that is totally believable and that works.
My favorite part was when Michael got exiled to Sicily. When he had to escape the country, living in relative peace with a new bride and friends, yet ended up getting dragged back to the troubles at home. Another neat part was when The Godfather arranged for a meeting with all the italian families and called for a truce. Actually there are so many good parts, so many neat side stories of the various characters that are linked to the Godfather one way or another.
The middle part gets boring. I'm referring to the Las Vegas storyline with Sonny's mistress, as well as a few of the young Godfather flashbacks. Although the young Godfather could be a book in itself as it describes how Vito Corleone started out and eventually became one of the most powerful men in New York.
The Godfather movies are ok, but are too short to enjoy all the finer details and nuances present in the book. So you've gotta read it to get the full enjoyment.
2. Contact - Carl Sagan
This was one of my favorite movies of all time, so I decided to read the book too, and was pleased at how much fun it was to read. Carl Sagan takes his own sweet time in telling the story, developing the characters, telling the story in his own unique style. It almost reads like a diary, dwelling on a certain event or plodding through different story arcs. Sometimes I felt like I was reading it as it happened in real time.
You have to be in the right frame of mind while reading this. Do not rush through, relax and read it slowly, you will feel as if you are a bystander watching the story unfold among familiar friends. If you have watched the movie, you will find the pace much slower, less dramatic, but more enjoyable. The story is a lot different too. For instance, in the movie only Jodie Foster makes the trip, while in the book she is accompanied by a whole crew. The ending is much better in the book too. In it, there is a neat epilogue which reveals the secret of the ancients. I loved, loved the epilogue.
Lots of geek stuff that even non techies will enjoy. My favorite part was when they were building the alien device based on the simplistic set of instructions that first laid the foundation building more and more complex sets until eventually you have the full system. There is also that feeling of uncertainty building a device that is inherently alien to the human race, something that may result in our own destruction. The book also contains some real good philosophical discussion on the nature of God and potential meanings of life. One of the best and most highly recommended.
1. Eaters of the Dead - Michael Crichton
This is my #1 most entertaining fiction book of all time. I never get tired of this Crichton classic. I probably read it three times already. I bet I would still enjoy reading this a fourth, fifth, or sixth time. Why is this book great? It's because the writing style is so cool, so different. It is written in the first person in journal form. You getto read the point of view of an observer trapped in a culture that is entirely foreign to him, so he describes everything in intricate detail with a mix of awe and disgust. But the observer gradually becames one of them and even ends up participating in their travels.
I learned later that this was Crichton's tribute to Beowulf and his take on Viking culture. Another well-researched book on his part, with just the right stuff to keep it as entertaining and educational as possible.
I consider the title 'Eaters of the Dead' to refer to a certain subplot in the story, that of this greatly feared race of half-neanderthal, half beast man-creature that are the ultimate savages. I cringed during the part where the observer and his compatriots discover the brutality left behind by the eaters of the dead. And the worst part is, they have to go to war against them! Can they actually win, will they survive at all.
It's like a fairy tale, historical narration, and horror novel, all rolled into one short but great book. And it just so happens to be the most fun book I've ever read.
Monday, April 03, 2006
The Best Cartoons on TV
Here's a list of my top five favorite cartoon series of all time. Three of the five are still in active production, which is nice.
5. Dragon's Lair
An oldie but goody. I got to watch old episodes of this as a kid through betamax tapes. I liked how the show gave choices to the viewer, ala-Choose Your Own Adventure, as to what Dirk the Daring should do next. Then it would show the results of those choices, most of them leading to the demise of the lead characters. It also helped that I was into the whole Knights and Wizards thing as a kid, adding more spark to an already overactive imagination.
4. Futurama
Very underrated show. I like how Simpsons creator Matt Groening combines sci-fi with humor. Some of the stories and ideas are actually quite good, covering many popular science fiction paradoxes and cliches. Although the series has been cancelled on TV, there are plans to create new episodes exclusively for DVD, and even its own movie.
3. Family Guy
I admit I hated this the first time I saw it. I thought it was trying too hard to be funny and cute. But lately Family Guy has grown on me and is one of the funniest shows on TV. My favorite character in this is the talking dog. He is easily the most articulate in the family, but at times goes back to doing dog things. I can't stand the obnoxious baby Stewie. The father lead character, Peter is obviously their version of Homer Simpson. They squeeze in an incredible amount of satire and jokes in each episode with plenty of sexual references and toilet humor. Well worth watching.
2. The Simpsons
The gold standard by which all primetime cartoons are measured against. The Simpsons seem to get better season after season. I like the Halloween episodes where they have elements of science fiction and horror, and where anything can happen. The characters, Homer, Bart, Flanders, Lisa & co. as well as the city of Springfield seem to have taken a life of its own. Decades from now we will be marvelling at the genius of this series.
1. South Park
The boys are #1! Matt and Trey try very hard to offend as many people as they can. They make fun of organized religion, hybrid car owners, hollywood, and every possible group they can piss off. I have a list of my favorite South Park episodes: the one where Cartman grows his own race of Sea Monkeys that worship him as a God, the Iraq war debate which devolves into an "I'm a little bit country, I'm a little bit rock n' roll" concert, Randy Marsh spoofing Rocky, the Scientology episode which caused Isaac 'Chef' Hayes to quit the series, and of course this season's 'The Return of Chef' where Chef turns into Darth Vader in the end. Every new episode of South Park is an event and the highlight of my week. We want more!!
5. Dragon's Lair
An oldie but goody. I got to watch old episodes of this as a kid through betamax tapes. I liked how the show gave choices to the viewer, ala-Choose Your Own Adventure, as to what Dirk the Daring should do next. Then it would show the results of those choices, most of them leading to the demise of the lead characters. It also helped that I was into the whole Knights and Wizards thing as a kid, adding more spark to an already overactive imagination.
4. Futurama
Very underrated show. I like how Simpsons creator Matt Groening combines sci-fi with humor. Some of the stories and ideas are actually quite good, covering many popular science fiction paradoxes and cliches. Although the series has been cancelled on TV, there are plans to create new episodes exclusively for DVD, and even its own movie.
3. Family Guy
I admit I hated this the first time I saw it. I thought it was trying too hard to be funny and cute. But lately Family Guy has grown on me and is one of the funniest shows on TV. My favorite character in this is the talking dog. He is easily the most articulate in the family, but at times goes back to doing dog things. I can't stand the obnoxious baby Stewie. The father lead character, Peter is obviously their version of Homer Simpson. They squeeze in an incredible amount of satire and jokes in each episode with plenty of sexual references and toilet humor. Well worth watching.
2. The Simpsons
The gold standard by which all primetime cartoons are measured against. The Simpsons seem to get better season after season. I like the Halloween episodes where they have elements of science fiction and horror, and where anything can happen. The characters, Homer, Bart, Flanders, Lisa & co. as well as the city of Springfield seem to have taken a life of its own. Decades from now we will be marvelling at the genius of this series.
1. South Park
The boys are #1! Matt and Trey try very hard to offend as many people as they can. They make fun of organized religion, hybrid car owners, hollywood, and every possible group they can piss off. I have a list of my favorite South Park episodes: the one where Cartman grows his own race of Sea Monkeys that worship him as a God, the Iraq war debate which devolves into an "I'm a little bit country, I'm a little bit rock n' roll" concert, Randy Marsh spoofing Rocky, the Scientology episode which caused Isaac 'Chef' Hayes to quit the series, and of course this season's 'The Return of Chef' where Chef turns into Darth Vader in the end. Every new episode of South Park is an event and the highlight of my week. We want more!!
Sunday Morning Coffee
Sunday Morning Coffee is a collection of instrumental tracks compiled by Chip Davis that serves the purpose of setting the mood or background music. This is one of my favorite CDs in my collection. It covers different moods occuring on a Saturday or Sunday morning. I like it because it evokes old feelings of romance, peace, and inspiration in me when I listen to it while sipping a warm cup of tea by myself or with friends (I guess you could also call it 'Sunday Morning Tea' or something).
Here's the album intro on the inside CD jacket which sums it up nicely:
There are a couple of standout tracks here. I like how each song has a brief intro written about it on the CD booklet. For example, here's the intro for 'Sunday Morning Coffee' composed by Chip Davis himself. It's probably the best track on the album, and kind of reminds me of the lovely actress Meg Tilly.
Here's the intro for 'Sunday Sonata':
I particularly like 'My Secret Lust', the bad boy track in this compilation. Heck this is how I feel most Sunday mornings!
Here's another good one, the intro to 'Coffee with Carla':
Of course if you've had too much coffee, you end up with too much caffeine in your system, which results in the hyperactive final track 'Morning Blend', the second best one on the album:
The result is a refreshing cup of musical enjoyment.
Rating: 4/5 * * * *
Inspiring and relaxing.
Here's the album intro on the inside CD jacket which sums it up nicely:
"Day Parts" is a term applied to various parts of the day by the broadcast business. They have names for various day parts like "Early morning drive", etc. Back in my days as a jingle writer, I used to have to compose music that fit various formats and moods, and quite often in a very wide variety of styles. Several years ago, I thought it would be neat to have an album for different parts of the day to sort of "score our lives" like one might a movie.
There are a couple of standout tracks here. I like how each song has a brief intro written about it on the CD booklet. For example, here's the intro for 'Sunday Morning Coffee' composed by Chip Davis himself. It's probably the best track on the album, and kind of reminds me of the lovely actress Meg Tilly.
This piece was brewed on the morning (Sunday... of course) after my little peewee daughter, Kelly Lynne, was born. It was a fresh morning with yellow sunlight and the warm feeling of a new life starting.
Here's the intro for 'Sunday Sonata':
You work your job all week, you work your yard all Saturday, and Sunday... well, Sunday has already been proclaimed a day of rest, so let's not feel guilty about it. This tune is about sitting on the front porch, with a steaming cup of java, softly strumming a guitar. Or if you don't own a guitar, a Sousaphone will suffice.
I particularly like 'My Secret Lust', the bad boy track in this compilation. Heck this is how I feel most Sunday mornings!
This song is "the other" kind of Sunday morning. You've had a miserable work week and Saturday night you indulged in a little too much snake-bite juice. So here you are on a Sunday morning, taking coffee and aspirin through an I.V., thinking "there has to be more to life than this... If I only had a new sail boat... or a glamorous job... or that sexy barmaid... or... "______" (fill in your own "secret lust").
Here's another good one, the intro to 'Coffee with Carla':
This is the picture perfect Sunday morning: your significant other sits close by, wrapped in a terry cloth robe; the soft sunlight warms your shoulders and peace rises with the steam off your coffee. Life moves in a slow motion waltz, and the sleepy feeling is occasionally broken by small crescendos; the laugh from a comic strip... the ring of the phone... the furnace blowing up...
Of course if you've had too much coffee, you end up with too much caffeine in your system, which results in the hyperactive final track 'Morning Blend', the second best one on the album:
It wasn't baroque, so I didn't fix it. However, I thought that a little intermingling of styles would make this cut (cup?) a little more interesting. I ground this out on a Sunday too.
The result is a refreshing cup of musical enjoyment.
Rating: 4/5 * * * *
Inspiring and relaxing.
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Review - Comics: House of M
I just reread this comic series recently and I soon rediscovered why I believe this is one of the best mini-series ever made. The great story coupled by the involvement of two of the best teams ever assembled, the Astonishing X-Men and the New Avengers made this one of the best titles I've read.
The Setting: The story takes place in an alternate Marvel universe where several Avengers (the Vision, Hawkeye and Ant-Man) were killed by one of their own, the Scarlet Witch when she suffered a nervous breakdown after she lost her children. It is also a place where the X-Men founder, Charles Xavier, left the team to rebuild the charred remains of Genosha (the only mutant city) and came to the aid of his long-time friend Magneto, the shamed and outcast father of the Scarlet Witch, to help "cure" his daughter.
The Plot: The story begins with Xavier trying to convince a severly-traumatized Scarlet Witch to control her reality-altering mutant powers. He realized the need to do so because he knew that the Scarlet Witch's power was too dangerous to let loose. However, he also knew that he was powerless to help her. So he left Genosha and called on the Astonishing X-Men (Emma Frost, Cyclops, Wolverine, Beast, Shadowcat and Colossus), the New Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man, the Sentry, Spider-Man and Luke Cage), Avengers Reserves (the Wasp, Falcon, Ms. Marvel and Wonder Man) as well as the Mystic, Dr. Strange to decide with him the fate of Wanda Maximoff (the Scarlet Witch).
There was a standoff - with the X-Men wanting to eliminate the Scarlet Witch before she poses a bigger threat on one side; and the Avengers wanting another alternative on the other. Both teams claimed that they should have jurisdiction over the matter. The X-Men believed that they should have authority since the Scarlet Witch was a mutant threat. While the Avengers believed that they should decide on the matter because she was part of their team. With the absence of a clear decision, everyone decided to go to Genosha to speak with the Scarlet Witch instead. However, they were all surprised to learn that the Scarlet Witch was moved. Fearing that Magneto took his daughter away, the heroes tried to pursue the fugitives. They closed in on them until Xavier was mysteriously lost and the whole world turned white.
The Twist: The Scarlet Witch used her powers to create a new world where the heroes got what they always wanted. It was a world where mutants were the dominant race, Spider-Man was a happily-married, popular and wealthy wrestler (his Uncle Ben was alive), Captain America was a retired war hero, Tony Stark (Iron Man) was a wealthy businessman (with an alive father), Emma Frost and Scott Summers (Cyclops) were living together, Colossus was a farmer, Shadowcat was a teacher, Ms. Marvel was the most popular superhero, Wonder Man was a celebrity etc.
Unfortunately, Wolverine also got what he always wanted - he got all his memory back. Along with that, he remembered a different world: a world where mutants were hated and feared; where war, violence and famine were more rampant; where the world was in tormoil. Wolverine knew that the world, where he was the head of the most elite force for the House of M (Magnus - Magneto's real name), was a better place - but it wasn't the real one. So he went rogue and tried to reassemble the X-Men and Avengers team that he remembered. He was helped by a powerful child psychic, Layla - a mutant that existed only on the new world but strangely remembered the world Wolverine described. She was instrumental in letting the heroes remember everything.
The Climax: The best part of the series was the face-off between the combined X-Men and Avengers heroes and those of the House of M. Although the heroes were a powerful group, the House of M were no pushovers - there was the Maximoff family (Magneto and his children), Namor the leader of Atlantis, Ororo (Storm) ruler of Africa and Dr. Doom ruler of Latvia among others. The battle sequences were brutal (Cyclops insisted that nobody should hold back). The two sides were evenly matched with nobody in any clear advantage. Concurrently, two important revelations about the story surfaced while all the fighting went on. 1) Xavier, who was presumed dead, was found to be only missing and 2) Magneto didn't convince his daughter to create the mutant-ruling world - it was Quicksilver's (Wanda's twin brother's) idea. When Magneto learned that Quicksilver did this and used his name in the process, he killed his son. This angered Wanda because she believed that Quicksilver only wanted to help her and everyone else in the process. Because of this, Wanda used her powers once again and wished to have no more mutants. Thus the whole world turned white again.
The Ending: The old world was returned to how it was - except that 1) Most of the world's mutants lost their mutant genes. 2) Nobody remembered the events in the world of the House of M except for the X-Men, Spider-Man and Dr. Strange. 3) Xavier, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch were missing. 4) The repercussions of the lost energy of all mutants were about to unfold.
My Reaction: The story was great since the heroes were willing to let go of the reality created by the Scarlet Witch no matter how great it was. They were willing to die and fight without holding anything back in order to return to a world that's worse than the one that was created for them. Did they do it because it was the unselfish and noble thing to do? Or is it because they just couldn't live a lie? Be it for whatever reason, it epitomized how earth's heroes value integrity and dedication. It showed how these can overcome even their human emotions.
However, I also felt for the Maximoff family because their stories showed how they succombed to their human sides. I felt for Scarlet Witch, a loving mother, who wanted to have a world where her children were alive. I also felt for Quicksilver who was selfish enough to suggest a new world where his sister can be spared from a possible execution. Finally, I felt for Magneto who was proud not to accept the mutant-supreme world (his lifelong dream) that he ruled when he learned that it wasn't real.
I like the way both sides in this series were properly developed. There were several other related titles to the House of M that further showed the altered lives of the heroes from both sides. It's obvious that a lot of work was exerted in creating the intricate stories and how everything came together. I really enjoyed the story and I'm looking forward to the series that follows this one, Decimation. Hopefully it's as good as it's predecessor.
Rating: Starbucks
5 - Starbucks
4 - Seattle's Best
3 - Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf
2 - San Francisco Coffee
1 - Kapihan sa Kanto
The Setting: The story takes place in an alternate Marvel universe where several Avengers (the Vision, Hawkeye and Ant-Man) were killed by one of their own, the Scarlet Witch when she suffered a nervous breakdown after she lost her children. It is also a place where the X-Men founder, Charles Xavier, left the team to rebuild the charred remains of Genosha (the only mutant city) and came to the aid of his long-time friend Magneto, the shamed and outcast father of the Scarlet Witch, to help "cure" his daughter.
The Plot: The story begins with Xavier trying to convince a severly-traumatized Scarlet Witch to control her reality-altering mutant powers. He realized the need to do so because he knew that the Scarlet Witch's power was too dangerous to let loose. However, he also knew that he was powerless to help her. So he left Genosha and called on the Astonishing X-Men (Emma Frost, Cyclops, Wolverine, Beast, Shadowcat and Colossus), the New Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man, the Sentry, Spider-Man and Luke Cage), Avengers Reserves (the Wasp, Falcon, Ms. Marvel and Wonder Man) as well as the Mystic, Dr. Strange to decide with him the fate of Wanda Maximoff (the Scarlet Witch).
There was a standoff - with the X-Men wanting to eliminate the Scarlet Witch before she poses a bigger threat on one side; and the Avengers wanting another alternative on the other. Both teams claimed that they should have jurisdiction over the matter. The X-Men believed that they should have authority since the Scarlet Witch was a mutant threat. While the Avengers believed that they should decide on the matter because she was part of their team. With the absence of a clear decision, everyone decided to go to Genosha to speak with the Scarlet Witch instead. However, they were all surprised to learn that the Scarlet Witch was moved. Fearing that Magneto took his daughter away, the heroes tried to pursue the fugitives. They closed in on them until Xavier was mysteriously lost and the whole world turned white.
The Twist: The Scarlet Witch used her powers to create a new world where the heroes got what they always wanted. It was a world where mutants were the dominant race, Spider-Man was a happily-married, popular and wealthy wrestler (his Uncle Ben was alive), Captain America was a retired war hero, Tony Stark (Iron Man) was a wealthy businessman (with an alive father), Emma Frost and Scott Summers (Cyclops) were living together, Colossus was a farmer, Shadowcat was a teacher, Ms. Marvel was the most popular superhero, Wonder Man was a celebrity etc.
Unfortunately, Wolverine also got what he always wanted - he got all his memory back. Along with that, he remembered a different world: a world where mutants were hated and feared; where war, violence and famine were more rampant; where the world was in tormoil. Wolverine knew that the world, where he was the head of the most elite force for the House of M (Magnus - Magneto's real name), was a better place - but it wasn't the real one. So he went rogue and tried to reassemble the X-Men and Avengers team that he remembered. He was helped by a powerful child psychic, Layla - a mutant that existed only on the new world but strangely remembered the world Wolverine described. She was instrumental in letting the heroes remember everything.
The Climax: The best part of the series was the face-off between the combined X-Men and Avengers heroes and those of the House of M. Although the heroes were a powerful group, the House of M were no pushovers - there was the Maximoff family (Magneto and his children), Namor the leader of Atlantis, Ororo (Storm) ruler of Africa and Dr. Doom ruler of Latvia among others. The battle sequences were brutal (Cyclops insisted that nobody should hold back). The two sides were evenly matched with nobody in any clear advantage. Concurrently, two important revelations about the story surfaced while all the fighting went on. 1) Xavier, who was presumed dead, was found to be only missing and 2) Magneto didn't convince his daughter to create the mutant-ruling world - it was Quicksilver's (Wanda's twin brother's) idea. When Magneto learned that Quicksilver did this and used his name in the process, he killed his son. This angered Wanda because she believed that Quicksilver only wanted to help her and everyone else in the process. Because of this, Wanda used her powers once again and wished to have no more mutants. Thus the whole world turned white again.
The Ending: The old world was returned to how it was - except that 1) Most of the world's mutants lost their mutant genes. 2) Nobody remembered the events in the world of the House of M except for the X-Men, Spider-Man and Dr. Strange. 3) Xavier, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch were missing. 4) The repercussions of the lost energy of all mutants were about to unfold.
My Reaction: The story was great since the heroes were willing to let go of the reality created by the Scarlet Witch no matter how great it was. They were willing to die and fight without holding anything back in order to return to a world that's worse than the one that was created for them. Did they do it because it was the unselfish and noble thing to do? Or is it because they just couldn't live a lie? Be it for whatever reason, it epitomized how earth's heroes value integrity and dedication. It showed how these can overcome even their human emotions.
However, I also felt for the Maximoff family because their stories showed how they succombed to their human sides. I felt for Scarlet Witch, a loving mother, who wanted to have a world where her children were alive. I also felt for Quicksilver who was selfish enough to suggest a new world where his sister can be spared from a possible execution. Finally, I felt for Magneto who was proud not to accept the mutant-supreme world (his lifelong dream) that he ruled when he learned that it wasn't real.
I like the way both sides in this series were properly developed. There were several other related titles to the House of M that further showed the altered lives of the heroes from both sides. It's obvious that a lot of work was exerted in creating the intricate stories and how everything came together. I really enjoyed the story and I'm looking forward to the series that follows this one, Decimation. Hopefully it's as good as it's predecessor.
Rating: Starbucks
5 - Starbucks
4 - Seattle's Best
3 - Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf
2 - San Francisco Coffee
1 - Kapihan sa Kanto
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