Sicko

Sicko is Michael Moore's latest documentary following his previous successes, Bowling for Columbine and Fahrenheit 9/11. In this one, he focuses on the problems of America's health care industry and what must be done to fix it.

In a nutshell, here are the main points made in the film:
- American's health care system is broken.
- Health care should be universal and free.
- Steps should be made to fix the system.

I tend to agree with all these points and glad that Moore produced his usual entertaining and educational fare to address these. It always seemed to me to be common sense that medical care that can fix illnesses and save lives should not have a price tag associated with it. And the fact that uninsured elderly, or even young people would go broke or lose their life savings after getting seriously sick means that something is wrong with the system. This became a personal issue for me recently after seeing my parents, as well as parents of friends get sick and not having any insurance or enough savings to cover for it. Michael Moore just points out what should be common sense, that there should be no price tag with saving lives and getting well.

I thought the best idea from the movie came from one thing the British doctor said in passing - that he gets incentives and bonuses if he is able to convince his patients to lower their blood pressure, or quit smoking, or do other preventive measures to improve their health. It was such a fine thought that probably won't get as much attention as the other more controversial parts in this film, but it is worth repeating: that there should be incentives on promoting good health and preventing future illnesses, rather than on fixing bad stuff after it occurs. If you ask me, the medical industry is too focused on "fix-its": fixing problems after they already occur. Perhaps because there is more money on curing ill patients, rather than making sure they improve their health so they don't get sick in the first place. I've got a lot more to rant about regarding this subject matter which I'll cover in a future post on the coffeefriday blog.

While I thought this documentary was a step in the right direction, and hopefully an instrument for reform, there were just too much social propaganda here masquerading as facts. I understand that Moore may want to exaggerate certain material to make a point, but I think he goes a bit too far in this one. For instance, he puts the health care systems of Canada, UK, and France on top of a pedestal and uses them as Utopian examples the way things should be. But he gives very little lip service to the negatives of their system. You get the impression that these countries have high quality health care that is totally free. It sounds too good to be true. The reality is that nothing is free and that everything has a cost. The cost is in higher taxes, longer waiting times, lower quality. To be fair, Moore does mention and refute these points in the movie, but gives so devotes so little time to the arguments against them, that it just felt like he was dictating to me what to think rather than letting me make my own judgment.

The part where he led the batch of 9/11 rescue workers on a boat trip to Guantanamo Bay, and later to Cuba turned me off. This was where I felt the movie stopped being a documentary and started becoming a work of fiction, or more of an opinion piece. While I acknowledge that this scene might have been staged to make a point about the broken nature of U.S. Health Care, it just got a bit too sensationalist for my tastes. The Cuba scenes portrayed the rescue workers as victims who were unable to help themselves, which does a big disservice to them as it reinforces their belief that they are victims who can only be helped by the government.

By the second half of the film, the rest of the moviegoers at the cinema I was in seemed to be totally brainwashed by everything they saw, judging from their reactions and sounds of agreement. There was loud applause at the end. While I felt initially that this was a good sign, that this would at least motivate people to make efforts to change the system, I was also a bit scared at how easily one could be misled by some of the one-sided arguments in Sicko.

So to summarize, I liked this movie, I'm glad it was made, and I think it will have a positive effect in making people think. Unfortunately I predict that it will influence people for the wrong reasons, leading us to think that free health care comes without any cost. I just wish it could have portrayed both sides of the argument (and if it comes a little biased towards Moore's side, that's ok), then let people make the decisions for themselves rather than dictating what they should think. On the positive side, there were a couple of gems in Sicko that were buried under the more sensationalist scenes, it's just too bad these ideas were not emphasized more:

- Life-saving medical care should be universal and free (even at the cost of higher taxes)
- More emphasis should be made on preventive medicine and health improvement, so people will need less medical care in the future.
- The medical industry needs to be less incentivized towards money.

Rating: 2/5 * *
Good intentions, but too one-sided in its message.

Van Helsing

I didn't have high expectations for this movie, yet I found it oddly amusing. It could be partly due to the nice scenery, or Kate Beckinsale's cute Romanian accent (she's one of those rare types who gets more attractive with age). She fits the role perfectly and could have easily played the lead role. It's visually a very attractive film, and while I'm not usually a fan of eye candy effects, its looks made me stand up and notice.

The story is cartoonishly simplistic, but in a nice way. It doesn't take itself very seriously, stays very relaxed while guiding the viewer to a tour of different monsters. It has vampires, werewolves, Frankenstein, everything you expect. The main protagonist, Van Helsing , comes off as a sort of superhero expert on these beasts. There are some good action scenes which it gets a little repetitive near the end.

No need to fool ourselves, the main reason to watch this is for Kate Beckinsale's character. She is particularly hot in this one.

Rating: 3/5 * * *
All about looks.

Sunshine

Say that in the distant future, that our sun gradually loses energy until it is unable to supply much needed sunlight to earth. This results in dark skies, more frigid climates, and a doomsday scenario looming over the populous. In an effort to save themselves, mankind sends out a lone spacecraft armed with a nuclear payload whose mission is to reignite the sun. The future of the world rests solely on the single crew operating the ship.

This is the premise and plot of Sunshine. Many things go wrong, mistakes are made, and difficult decisions are debated over, with tremendous repercussions. The characters are put under enormous stress and while watching this, I couldn't help but feel like I was part of the crew, agonizing with them all the way. This is the type of film where I wished I could pause it, then analyze and discuss the situation with the people I was watching with, before resuming the movie.

One thing that added to the enjoyment was that during the time I watched this, I was obsessed with getting lots of sunshine. I had just recently come from a place with extremely gloomy weather the past few months, and was enjoying the newly found tropical weather I was experiencing. Another thing that further enhanced the enjoyment was the excellent and classy moviehouse we watched this in (Greenbelt 3 cinema in Makati).

There were a couple of flaws in this one, most related to plot holes and dumb moves by the characters. I know these are essential to the story, but I felt it could have been explained in a more believable way without making the crew looking incompetent. I thought that the Captain was weak and he was mostly to blame for all the mistakes made. I thought he evaded responsibility and let a lot of dumb decisions get made without thinking it through. It was ridiculous how they let one guy make all the calculations on his own (without double-checking them), and going off and implementing it while the rest of the crew was asleep. Another silly thing is having only one person in the crew capable of activating the payload. You would think if that was the most important function of the ship, you'd have at least two people capable of doing it rather than having the fate of the world rest solely on one person.

My favorite crew member, hands down, would be Mace. He wasn't afraid to make the hard decisions, and made the most practical actions based on reality. I'll also have to pick Cassie (Rose Byrne) as she looked fantastic in this one.

I think by the last third of the movie, the director and writer just ran out of ideas and lost control of the script. It got very silly real fast. I just wish they had taken a more conventional approach to the ending. I'm hoping there's some sort of alternate ending in the DVD, or even revising the later parts all together. Worth noting is that the director, Danny Boyle, did the same 'silly ending' pattern in his other movie 28 Days Later, so maybe he takes a perverse enjoyment in those. Still, I'm willing to forget all the plot holes and silliness because this was fun to watch.

Rating: 3/5 * * *
Ethical dilemmas in a spaceship

The Matrix Revolutions

Ahhh, I finally get to watch The Matrix Revolutions, the thrilling conclusion to one of the best trilogies of all time. The first Matrix was ground-breaking, the second had some bad parts, but was still good (my previous review of Reloaded is here). And now, with baited breath, I get to watch how it all ends. Will Zion be preserved? Is Neo the one? Will The Architect and The Oracle reveal the true nature of reality as it actually exists?

It turns out that none of these will be answered. Or maybe they were, I just stopped caring.

First off, I hated, hated the whole military hierarchy of the Zion defense force. The commanders came off too much like arrogant pricks that I actually wanted to root for the machines. Morpheus seems to have a very limited role in this one, which is too bad, because he was the only one that was cool.

The whole Trinity - Neo relationship is ho-hum. Neo goes off with Trinity on their own ship with a separate mission... but at this point I lost track of what was happening, and got bored. There's this big CGI fight between the machine squid-like creatures and the giant defense robots. It felt like watching a cartoon.

Then the ending. What the?! Did anything happen at all? Did I miss something? I can't believe how the Wachowski brother could mess up what started as such a good thing.

I hated this movie. And I tried hard to think why I disliked it so much. Perhaps it's because the supporting human characters were so unlikeable. Perhaps it's because of the melodramatic feel from start to finish, where everyone took themselves too seriously, including Neo. Even previously cool characters such as Morpheus, Agent Smith, and Persephone couldn't save this one.

I guess I just didn't get the whole thing. If anyone knows what happened here, please explain it to me.

Rating: 1/5 *
Horrible ending to a once great franchise.

Ong-bak: The Thai Warrior

Ong-bak is a Thai action/martial arts film with some of the best fighting scenes I've ever watched. Its main star, Tony Jaa, appears to perform all his own stunts, and every punch and kick is delivered with full impact. I have a feeling that many of the actors and stunt men had sore bodies after filming. If you're a fan of old school 80's fight movies, you've gotta see this one.

The best part is when all the bad guys chase the hero through the crowded streets. Our hero jumps through barbed wire, leaps over walls, and steps over the shoulders of the henchmen in order to evade them. And yes, there's lots of good fighting here. In fact, the movie is more than two-thirds fighting and action. Another good part is the fight club scene at the bar where Tony Jaa is forced to beat up colorful characters named 'Pearl Harbor' and 'Big Bear', reminiscent of Jean Claude Van Damme's Bloodsport.

The only shortcoming of this movie is that the fights get somewhat repetitive in the end. You see the same moves over and over again. The final battle scene is anticlimactic. When you get to it, you're so exhausted from all the action that you want to take a break.

Yes, there's a story here too. The protagonist, a lowly villager named Ting who has been trained in the art of Muay Thai fighting is tasked to recover the head of the Buddha which has been stolen from his village. Along the way he meets a scam artist named Dirty Balls and his sister Muay, who take advantage of his fighting abilities to make some extra money, as well as help him in the end against the bad guys. Muay, portrayed by a young Thai actress named Pumwaree Yodkamol, is one good-looking woman. Though she is portrayed here as a short-haired college-age tomboy with a somewhat irritating voice, she's the second best reason to watch this movie.

Rating: 4/5 * * * *
You want fights? This movie has it.

perfume

This is one of the films featured in the recent 2007 french film festival in cebu which I missed. But I was able to acquire an english copy from a colleague.

The backdrop of this fascinating story in 18th century France, a decade and perhaps a couple of years before the American Revolution. City of Paris. There was this fish vendor who gave birth to an unwanted child. A boy.

Early on, there had been many attempts to dispose of him, but he proved lucky enough to survive. Growing up he was obviously different. He has an extra ordinary ability to smell. Distance is of no consequence. He can track anyone for miles, if he so chooses. He can break down any smell to its parts.

Naturally, he became an apprentice to a perfume maker. He was so overwhelmed by his sense of smell that when he became an adolescent. He made his first kill. An accident. A woman. Consumed, there began his journey. Perfume making has similarities to the composition of music. Each note blends. His goal was to preserve the smell of the woman.

My favorite scene in the movie is when the city elders were deliberating on their plan of action. One of them, who was a religious nut, suggested that the local bishop excommunicate the killer. As if this single act would at any degree prevent any more killings. This I think is a relevant social commentary about how people from the present day, solve their problems either by incantations or having incantations told for them by some authority. in this case, the holy mother church. Fortunately, the voice of reason was heard. A serial killer is out there and its going to take human wits to catch him.

This is the kind of movie which lingers long after it has ended. Morbid, sensual, and shameful.

Rating 4 out of 5
Disturbing.

fair play

this is the only film which i was able to catch at this year's french film festival. its about a team of people and their politics. there were 4 major characters. jean-claude the manipulator, charles the manager, alexandre the loser, and nicole the executive assistant.

alexandre, who appeared to lack confidence, was an easy target. hed be the subject of ridicule. or spite. and he seems to get blamed for everything. jean-claude tries to give him advice. like thinking out of the box to solve problems. or how it was important to have the guts and be willing to do anything to achieve a goal. even if it means stepping on other people's toes. charles who is the manager - mr perfect - mr know it all - the man that society looks up to. he puts alexander down too. his words cuts like steel. i can relate very well with alexandre. and then there is nicole who is also an easy target being at the bottom of the food chain so to speak. people act as if they wer perfect incapable of making mistakes. its all just an illusion. or that sometimes we play the victim card. so that the responsibility is out of our hands.

one day, there were all in a company sponsored outing. that could represent the real world. real life. where every person is for him/herself. an accident happens and they were all trapped. the title says it all. the accident overturns the table. and they all find themselves in an unfamiliar territory. top becomes bottom and vice versa. noone escapes except one. good acting. good story. and it's not hollywood - perfect!

rating: 4 out of 5
life is one big accident

Three Extremes

Three Extremes features three mini movies directed by three of the more popular Asian Extreme Horror directors: Fruit Chan, Chan-wook Park, and Takashi Miike. Each story is told in the director's style giving you a glimpse of each of their unique talents.

It opens with the first segment, 'Dumplings' (directed by Fruit Chan), which features a slightly aging actress looking to improve her youthfulness and looks. She visits this mysterious woman who cooks these dishes of dumplings, which is said to make whoever eats it look instantly younger. We can kind of guess what these dumplings are made from, its secret ingredient. This was an ok segment, nothing particularly memorable. But content may be disturbing for some.

The second segment is the torture short 'Cut' directed by Chan-wook Park who was also the director behind Oldboy. There's a bit of philosophical/social commentary in the dialog between the oppressor and the victim. And some genuinely cringe-worthy moments which made it hard for me to watch. I don't like torture films, and I found it hard to follow what was going on in this one. There is a somewhat bizarre, hard to figure out twist in the end which left me scratching my head. I only understood it after reading some of the interpretations posted by other people who watched this.

The third and last segment, 'Box', is the story of two sisters. It's a very quiet story with very little sound effects and no background music. Apparently this was the theme that director Takashi Miike (of Audition fame) wanted to convey. Some parts feel disjointed and just altogether weird. But the payoff in the end is kind of nice. And it keeps you thinking long after the movie ends.

I can't say which of the three stories is my favorite. 'Box' just felt a bit too quiet and strange (I even almost fell asleep on some parts!). 'Cut' has the richest story of all three, but somewhat disturbing for my tastes. Most people will probably enjoy 'Dumplings' the most. It's ok, but nothing great. This movie felt different, as most Asian Extreme Horror films are, so it's worth a watch if you're willing to try.

Rating: 4/5 * * * *
A good intro to the Asian Extreme Horror genre.

school of scoundrels

this movie is in the class of the 40 year old virgin and office space. its about this generally nice guy who noone notices because he looks average. maybe even a little ugly. he tries to please everyone. he is often proper. he doesnt swear. he runs away from confrontation. his life is mediocre. and uneventful. and expectedly, as most girls like the bad boys, he is alone, unlucky maybe, and to the point of being a push over because of it. he puts other people first before him. and what makes this a good movie for me is that he kind of reminds me, of me.

he started attending this class which taught him to be a winner. like the alpha male in a pack of lions. and he was very good. he learned a few things until finally his teacher, who was very competitive, started to interfere with his goals. that is to date this australian girl who lives on the same building where he lives.

this movie has a lot of funny antics. especially at the beginning where i could readily see my self in his shoes. although none of it really happened to me per se. because sometimes i do feel like a loser. and i suspect everyone even the prettiest or the smaertest people in the world, does too.

Rating: 4/5 ***
fuck nice .. lol

lady in the water

lady in the water. its a fairy tale with a modern day twist. the central figure is story, a water nymph, who needs to get back to her home. i thought that was a pleasant pun. and around her are a host of other interesting personalities who will help her do it.

the whole business of water nypmhs coming to our world and then going back to theirs, is a long time tradition. with that in mind, just as with any other tradition, it had developed intricate rules which are all revealed when the scrunt, a wolf like villain whose purpose is to prevent story from getting home, makes its first appearance. getting a nymph home is not so easy as it seems.

having played dungeons and dragons (a fantasy role playing game) and the changeling (a role playing game where the players role play the fae). i was easily interested.

my favorite part is the gathering of the people to play special parts in her "ascension". the pot heads could have been easily us only we really dont smoke but we do engage in interesting conversations ..

Rating: 3/5 ***
quaint and witty

Bubble

As many of you may know, I like my movies to be 'realistic'. I like having the sense that what I'm watching is actually happening, and that the characters are as believable as possible. Bubble is that type of movie.

As I was watching it, I felt like a distant observer to the private lives of three people who work in a doll factory in their small town and how they manage to go through their daily routine. The situation is very subtle and you can somehow sense what's going on without it being overstated. You get the sense of quiet desperation and desolation these people go through. Something happens that disrupts the delicate balance, causing a chain of events leading to a murder. But that's not the main point of the film, the story is merely a backdrop for illustrating how hopeless life can be when there are no other options. Something is very wrong here.

Bubble was shot with a very limited budget, which helps in setting the ambiance of the story. I liked the guitar strumming played at the start and in between scenes, it fit it perfectly. Plus, the ending credits with the weird music and still shots of the dolls were kind of scary. Very nicely done.

Rating: 4/5 * * * *
Very realistic.

pour l'amour de dieu

pour l'amour de dieu (for the love of god). i thought that this film is so powerful and so relevant that its a huge waste that not too many people were able to watch it especially in the philippines. where like in france, we live amongst muslims, theists, and extremists. the truth about any religion is that it does have positive and yet then sometimes conflicting messages. it says to love and yet it also says to kill, to hate, and to murder.

the story is about a boy's journey from being a regular highschool kid to a religious fanatic. he is a second or third generation immigrant. i am guessing they were from algeria. south of france. his parents made sure that they were fully integrated in french society. this implies that he was brought up free from religion. he discovers islam from a classmate who was a confessed moslem. he became infatuated with her and then attempts to convert to islam himself to get close to the girl. the girl was like him. she was a second or third generation immigrant. she was trying to rediscover her roots. and a huge part of it was her family's religion. she was however what one may say a moderate moslem. the boy then gets involved with some extremist groups. and i thought that to show off the several prejudices and superstitions of these kind of people were priceless. example: laughing is not allowed because it is believed to be the tickle of satan. or that men. true men dont cry. that women are satan's way of seducing men to sin. there are many others. crazy stuff. in retrospect, we find similar beliefs in christian places.

in the end, the boy was forced to confront his extermist views with that of the girl's moderate views, particularly on the wearing of the hijab.

rating 4 out of 5
educational

The Message

The Message
http://helpinghumanity.multiply.com/video

it is a film about the claimed history of islam. a story about mohamet. a story of what is now to be considered the stronghold regions of islam. it is mecca when europe was plunged to the dark ages. it is mecca in 610 AD. and i find that it had parallel beginnings like chrisitianity. for example, it was a popular past time for people to be polytheists. just like people in rome worshipped roman and greek deities, so did people in mecca, byzantine, alexandrie, and persia, worshipped their own list of deities before becoming monotheists.

there is also parallel as to how people reacted to the revelation or to these dangerous ideas. with resistance. but mohamet was just as adamant, just like jesus, moses, and the other biblically recorded prophets. they appeared to have conviction. but the problem is just like the rest of theists descendants today, they expected people to accept their message on the sole basis of conviction. with maybe fear mongering on the side.

"accept islam for your salvaton" -- and i thought or else what?

one of the messages (part 3 of the movie) talked about the previous custom of killing girls. because they were considered to be bad luck. or unfortunate. which i find to be parallel with chinese customs of even today. boys were regarded with more esteem. on other words, women were oppressed. the irony of this today is. islamic nations are known to oppressed their women. regarding them with a lower status in contrast to what supposedly mohamet said that all men are equal. but maybe this is to be interpreted as applicable only to men (not humankind)

rating 1 vs 5
ive seen it before in christianity ..

jeanne poisson, marquise de pompadour

this is a period piece on a remarkable woman named jeanne poisson. she was the official mistress of louis XV. i am uncertain wether the film was historically accurate. i have little way to verify if it is.

the film was intriguing in a way that illustrates how french nobility behaves. maybe a reflection of how the elite, a different kind of norm, behaves. a norm of castes. where society dictates and in so doing expects a certain behaviour of a person based on his/her station.

the film may have presented the characters in almost stereotypical fashion. the haughty and witty dialogues. the political maneuverings. the backstabbing. the eternal struggle to gain allies and outwit enemies. and of course as expected, the pageantry.

jeanne poisson wasnt born noble. but she eventually was granted a title after becoming the mistress of the king. she was innocent but very intelligent. she was purportedly very pretty and fashionable. and thus she was favored. this has caused people around the king, especially the inner circle like the prince and his sister, to despise her. she was not without allies as her brother ascended to the nobility short after her. but her greatest ally is the king himself. the film is filled with plots to ridicule and destroy her. the king's mother the empress was a little more civil. but otherwise was part of the majority which without pretense would like to just about throw her out of the chateau. she was clearly envied.

my favorite part of the movie was when she tripped (not by accident) and fell on the pool/fountain. the other nobles laughed but she stood and cried with innocence and confidence "i am venus" which we know to be part of greek mythology as a goddess that was born out of the sea. i enjoyed her wit just as a priest who saw what happened befriended her and became one of her allies.

reading from history, we find that there is a debate wether jeanne was really influential in the affairs of the state.

Rating: 3/5 * * *
i love history

Rocky Balboa

I was a bit of an action movie fan while I was growing up. As a kid I eagerly awaited and watched every new movie of my favorite action heroes - Steven Seagal, Stallone, Schwarzenegger, among others. I also watched a lot of martial arts films, everything I could get hold of. I especially liked the training montage and fight scenes, and would pattern my workouts with some of the training scenes I've seen in the movies, although I couldn't even get close to the type of physique that my favorite protagonists would have.

Because of all those fond memories from the 80's and early 90's fight movies, I was eagerly looking forward to watching Rocky Balboa yesterday. This is the latest and probably the last of the Rocky sequels. After it was over, I was a bit disappointed. The training montage didn't compare to the training scenes of the previous Rocky movies. Of which in my opinion 'Rocky IV' had the best training montage. Imagine a bearded Rocky doing grueling exercises in Siberia, climbing a mountain and lifting heavy farm equipment, in sharp contrast to the Russian Drago's state of the art gym facilities. 'Rocky Balboa' had a short, uninspiring training scene without much of the emotion or dramatics of the earlier sequels.

The fight scene against Mason Dixon was also very different from the previous Rocky movies. It was shot in a realistic manner, made to resemble a modern day HBO Pay Per View fight. In a sense, it was like Rocky had left the 'Rocky' universe and entered the present-day world. Which is not entirely bad, I thought the effect was interesting. But I still would have preferred if we it resembled the older movies. In fact this one, didn't even show scenes from the ending boxing/fight scene of the previous sequel, and naming it 'Rocky Balboa' instead of 'Rocky VI' was I guess Stallone's way of telling the viewers that this would be different.

I was not too fond of the Marie character because she felt too much like a quick throw-in replacement for Rocky's dead wife, Adrian. Actually while watching, I was concerned that they might form some sort of romantic relationship which would have been a disaster as no one can replace Adrian. I would have also liked to see more scenes with Duke, Rocky's (and Apollo's) old trainer. Rocky's son as well as Paulie were ok, I think they filled their roles well.

I enjoyed the first half of the movie a lot. It showed how affected Rocky was by the death of his wife, and how he constantly lived in the past, where he remembered that things were much better. It also showed how much of a caricature he became, entertaining patrons in his restaurant with old stories from his past. Rocky clearly only lived for the past and didn't like how his old neighborhood had changed so much since then. I can kind of relate to that a bit, and wish that they had explored that storyline in greater depth.

You would have guessed by now that I like Rocky III and IV more than Rocky I and II, although I like them all. Even Rocky V was ok but suffered from not having a training montage and actual boxing match in the end. I enjoyed the colorful characters and simple storylines of III and IV, and thought that Rocky IV was absolutely fantastic as an action movie.

All in all, I thought this was an OK way to end the series. I can understand why Stallone would want to end the series in the style of the first two Rocky movies but I still would have liked a more satisfying training and fight scene to wrap it up.

Rating: 3/5 * * *
A 'realistic' and current timeline Rocky with a different feel from the older sequels.

Barenaked Ladies - Barenaked Ladies Are Me

(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.

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.

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

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.

This is the perfect movie to watch with your male friends. In some sick way, I would even say that this can be educational. Watch this and learn from Nicholas Cage. This is only a movie, but in real life, please don’t be an idiot like the main character, ok? Don't tell me I didn't warn you.

Rating: 4/5 * * * *
A bad mood that's good.

(More spoilers and thoughts in the comments)

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.