Latest Reviews
April 23
Artist: Alvendia
Title: Forever
Genre: Dance
Rating: ***
Alvendia's debut album "Forever" doesn't take dance music to an innovative level but that shouldn't disappoint fans of the genre because this album will keep them dancing for a long time. Her voice is a good fit for the music. The album opens with the freestyle energy of "Suddenly" and sets the tone for the rest of the album. The two bonus tracks are much slower in tempo to showcase something different from Alvendia. I was glad they didn't feel the need to add in a gratutious gushy ballad (although one could argue that "Close to Me" as the bonus track could be a ballad). Overall, if you just want to dance away, this is an album to get to do so.
Favorite Picks: "Suddenly" and "The Night is Young"
Nelson
Artist: Bryan Chan
Title: The Solo Sessions
Genre: Rock
Rating: *****
After deciding to take a break from his group LMNT, Bryan Chan, has released his new CD, "The Solo Sessions," which strips down music to basic elements of guitar, keyboard, and drums and showcases Chan's powerful and distinctive vocals. Fans of LMNT may be a little surprised by the rock style of the music but I think Chan will gain many new fans while expanding his LMNT fan base with this album. From the get-go, I liked all of the 5 tracks instantly. The tracks are worth listening to over and over again. I suggest closing your eyes when listening to take in the whole experience.
Favorite Picks: "So Beautiful"
Nelson
Running on Karma: Totally expecting a comedy after seeing the opening scene with a grotesquely muscular Andy Lau stripping for a bunch of rowdy ladies -- I was surprised to find out it's also a suspense thriller. If you can get passed the sight of Andy and his bulging ... well, everything then maybe you can find what the critics loved about this movie. It swept top awards at the Hong Kong Film Awards. I couldn't stop staring at the strangeness of Lau's protruding body parts and his nude scenes (there are a few since it's not really him) made it hard for me to appreciate this movie and its complex messages the way others might.
Anna in Kung Fu Land: OK, I might be blinded by Ekin Cheng being the star of this fluffy movie but I actually found it charming in a tolerably screwball kind of way. I think it has to do with the pairing of Ekin with Miriam Cheung. The special effects and the fights are actually entertaining to watch and the antics of both make it more fun than crap. It's almost like watching a comical Ultimate Fighting contest. But again, it might just be my adoration of Ekin so you may need to judge for yourself.
Kill Bill Volume 2: I re-read the original draft script again before watching the movie and ended up thinking alot about how QT edited the movie to make it feel more like two movies. I agree with the review consensus that this movie could have just been one had he pared down gratuitous (insert word here) scenes and tightened up some of the dialog. One of the biggest criticism was QT's seemingly elongated dialogue between Bea and Bill at the end making the climax somewhat unfulfilling. I agree. There's a certain "real time" scene I think the movie could have done without completely. But overall a nice "sequel" and worth checking out if you enjoyed the first volume. Of the scenes taken out of the original script, the ones I'm most bummed about is the one with L.F. O'Boyle cause it looks like it was initially shot as the the character was even casted, Latonya Richardson (a great actress who also happens to be the wife of Samuel L. Jackson and relative to Justin Guarini). Oh well, maybe in the director's cut?! BTW, Gordon Liu kicks ass in the second of his two roles, this time as Pai Mei! He was Johnny Mo in volume one.
Kikujiro: IFC and the Sundance Channel has been coming through with delightful foreign movies lately. First I saw "The Way Home" (which I still strongly recommend) and today I got Kikujiro Tivoed. It's nice seeing usual tough guy/badass Beat Takeshi showing his lighter/softer side, so to speak. It's not the plot but rather the characters and their journey that move this movie along and make it worth watching. The boy has a vivid imagination so if you don't like to many sight gags, you might want to avoid it.
The Way Home: I just caught this amazing movie off the Sundance Channel (check listings as it is repeating). It's a Korean movie from 2002 and it just blew me away. The acting, story and everything about it just works. First off, I'm not one to beat children (what a weird way to start a sentence) but I assure you the little boy in this movie needs a good ass kicking. Brattiness aside, I am touched at the outpouring of emotion this movie emits and confess that I am typing this with teary eyes literally minutes since its ending. It's not a depressing movie by any means, so don't let that deter you. I hope lessons of respect and themes of patience and kindness will make this movie delightful for anyone watching it. I swear, some of the best movies out of Asia are from Korean filmmakers and this one is definitely up there.
Artist: Mion
(Samples from upcoming album via website)
Genre: R&B/World
Rating: ***
Mion is an artist who has decided to not wait for a major label to take her music to the masses. She's releasing the music on her own under the label "Asian Princess Records" and the album is due next month. Reviewing her three available tracks on her Web site gives a flavor of what to expect on the album. Mion takes traditional Asian instrumentation and adds an R&B flavor to them to make the sounds unique and her own. The most catchy of the three songs is "Do You Want Me" which takes a syncopated rhythm into a head-bobbing journey that borders on electronic music with a funk twist. If the preview songs are any indication, the album should be a noteworthy debut for this new artist.
Favorite Pick: "Don't You Want Me"
Nelson
April 10
Artist: William Hung
Title: Inspiration
Genre: Pop
Rating: **
Perhaps the most famous American Idol reject of all-time, William Hung signed a record deal with Koch Entertainment and quickly released his debut album. His infamous rendition of "She Bangs" starts off the music portion of the CD after a brief intro where Hung thanks those who have supported him. But it doesn't end there as they have also placed other soundbites to make the listener feel some sort of inspirational message from Hung that despite his poor singing, he's doing what he always dreamed of. In all of the songs he has remade, they sound like poor karaoke recordings. Obviously no real time was put into the production of the album (as is evidenced by the horrible renditions of "I Believe I Can Fly" and "Hotel California"). Perhaps the only bright spot of the album is the club-beat infused song "Free" which actually is listenable without cringing. For that I'll give him two stars, but just barely since I didn't even expect one song to be any good. With this CD, any buyer really knows what they are getting but at some point the joke has to end.
Favorite Picks: "Free"
Nelson
Previous Reviews
March 2004 (Music: Putnam Hall, Organic Thoughts; Movies: Charlotte Sometimes, Infernal Affairs 3; Books: Bringing Down The House)
February 2004 (Music: Vienna Teng, Odessa Chen, Akamai Brain Collective, Justin Young, One Vo1ce, With Love, Stereostar FM)
January 2004 (Music: Chops, One Vo1ce EP, Moulann; Movies: Torque, Good Times, Bed Times, Shiver, Infernal Affairs 2)
December 2003 (Music: The Francis Kim Band, Himalayan Project, Sonic Orange, and Jeff Hsin; Movies: Men Suddenly in Black, My Dream Girl, and The Last Samurai)
November 2003 (Music: Harlemm Lee, Fiona Wong, and Adagio; Movies: Truth or Dare: 6th Floor Rear Flat and So Close)
October 2003 (Music: Kevin So and Kaila; Movies: Marrying the Mafia, Heroic Duo, Kill Bill, and Under the Tuscan Sun)
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