I was watching “Kylie, Live In Sydney” last night, which is a DVD copy of her ‘On A Night Like This’ tour from 2001, which was pre-Fever album.
I was taken by the fact that nobody even batted an eyelid when she introduced them to ‘Can’t Get You Out Of My Head’ – a then unknown song, which we all know then went on to take the World by storm!
It was really weird to see the song performed without the hysteric reactions that the song draws these days… eerie even!
Last night, in the midst of a marvellous storm, I sat down and watched ‘Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride’ for the very first time.
Straight up, I think that this is one of the best films that I have seen!
There are just so many perfect elements to it; not to mention the awesome soundtrack by Danny Elfman! The scripting is especially strong, lots of clever little jokes and puns, and I adore the use of imagery used throughout the film; especially that of the blue butterfly (linked with European folklore and the reincarnation of women who are murdered in especially brutal circumstances).
Absolutely everything I was expecting and much, much more!
I especially love the two piano pieces:
It made me realise how much I’d love my own personal theme and for it to start playing whenever I had a film-style moment in life heh! Victor’s theme is probably my favourite of any character’s theme that I’ve come across; including those used in Doctor Who. I shall certainly have to hunt out the sheet music for it!
One of the extras on the DVD is a version of the film with only the soundtrack laid onto it – they take out everything but the music. Last night, after watching the film, I immediately rewatched the whole thing with just the audio track on – absolutely marvellous, though it would, in my opinion, be better if they re-introduced the voices during the songs themselves…
Now, away to buy some of the figures for my desk at work!
When this aired earlier this year, I have to say, I was greatly moved by it!
Julie Walters is truly one of our finest actors and what she brought to this performance was phenomenal I thought! I was in floods by the time that I’d finished watching it, and it really did get under my skin.
Anyway, I am briefly blogging about the programme to highlight that it is coming out on DVD on Monday 27th July ‘09 – hurrah!!!
[inspired by the story of Anne Turner]
Having just witnessed the death of her husband Jack from an incurable neurological disease, Anne Turner (Julie Walters) is diagnosed with a near identical illness.
With determined rationality, Anne’s answer is that once her illness has reached a critical point, she will take her own life. And she needs her children’s support.
But the more her son and two daughters struggle to gain consensus over their mother’s desire to die as they struggle to find another way through, the further they pull apart.
From Jessica’s silent recriminations to Sophie’s stubborn practicality, the magnitude of the situation threatens to tear the family to pieces.
Anne must also face the fury of her best friend Claire – whose opposing views bring them into direct and vocal conflict.
Writer Frank McGuinness adds: “As a doctor Anne Turner lived and worked by her principles, and she chose to die by them. This film recognises that rare courage.”
Over the last two weeks I have been getting re-acquainted with some of the more popular Studio Ghibli films, notably Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away (both by Hayao Miyazaki).
Princess Mononoke
Spirited Away
If you have not yet had chance to see these films, I really would recommend them! Spirited Away is a good entry level film and was presented in the West by Disney (though don’t expect Disney content!), whereas Princess Mononoke is a much more raw/traditional film I feel. Both are excellent.
The soundtrack of Princess Mononoke is especially wonderful. If you have surround sound at home, make sure that you use it, as the sweeping soundtrack absolutely fills the room!
Symphonic suite of music from Princess Mononoke, conduced by Joe Hisaishi (who scored the film)
Oh, and I want me a kodama (obviously!) – though the Studio Ghibli kodama do differ slightly from folklore kodama (these look more cutesy heh)
Finally got around to watching this film – it’s amazing!!
If you’ve not already had chance to do so, I’d heartily recommend it if you’re after a film that is so 80’s that it’s tragically cool hehe!
Plot
When truck driver Jack Burton (Kurt Russell) and his friend Wang Chi (Dennis Dun) go to the airport to meet friends arriving on a flight from China, bandits from Chinatown kidnap Wang’s green-eyed Chinese girlfriend (Pai). To rescue her, Burton and Wang go into the mysterious underworld beneath Chinatown, where they face a number of dangerous challenges and battle kung-fu masters and a 2,000-year-old man – an ancient sorcerer named Lo Pan (Hong). Centuries ago, Lo Pan was put under a curse, and the only way that he can break it and become human again is to marry a woman with green eyes and then sacrifice her. Lo Pan is served by a ruthless street gang, the “Wing Kong“, and by the “Three Storms” – three mystical henchmen named Thunder, Lightning and Rain. Jack and Wang are aided in their quest by lawyer Gracie Law (Kim Cattrall), a tour bus-driving sorcerer named Egg Shen (Victor Wong), Wang’s friend Eddie Lee (Donald Li), and a helpful street gang, the Chang Sing.
Over the years, I have seen The Rules Of Attraction a couple of times now… it’s not bad, not great, however the one scene that I really love (and I would go so far to say that it’s one of my favourite scenes of ‘all time’) is this one:
And yes… scenes such as this are also classed as ‘normal’ in our house (owing more to me, than to Mister Greg hehe!) 
The music used throughout this film is fantastic, so I’m currently hunting out the soundtrack to the film!
As I say, it’s not a bad film, certainly memorable, however it doesn’t really move anywhere and is a little brainless in my opinion – so it is perfect for crashing out on a Saturday afternoon to perhaps.
Now I must say, I’d avoided this film like the plague for ages as I thought that it was going to be absolutely rubbish (Dreamworks doing Kung Fu… Jack Black…trailer making it look like a cheesy kids film… didn’t really bode well in my opinion!) – however I watched it last night and have to say, I rather enjoyed it!
I thought that it was rather well made, had a nice story and the visuals / whole ancient China thing worked really well I thought.
I especially liked the closing titles and the work that they did on those (with particular enjoyment coming from the re-worked ‘Kung Fu Fighting!’ track).
I’d definitely recommend it if you’re looking for something fun and light–hearted to watch!
I soooo want to be part of the ‘Five’… but moreover, if given a choice, I would simply HAVE to be the ‘baddy’, Tai Lung, hehe!
… just set this system up at home, and WOW!
I absolutely love it!
Crystal clear sound quality that works really well within the dimensions of our apartment, a top-notch sub-woofer and a nifty button that lets me convert 2-channel output to the 5.1 set up.
I’ve heard parts of songs, for example, that I’ve never been able to hear before (and that is saying something as I tend to know most songs that I know inside out!!) – it truly is phenominal! It is so easy to just immerse and lose oneself in the music!
REALLY looking forward to trying this out on the TV with a DVD later on!
Specs & sales guff:
Audio Quality
Immerse yourself.
- 5.1 Surround Sound: Immerse yourself in movies and games with a full 360° of audio.
- “Matrix Mode”: Enjoy a 5.1 surround sound effect even from 2-channel stereo sources.
- Frequency Directed Dual Drivers (FDD2™): Get balanced, uniform sound without inconsistent, uneven spots.
- Real-time Bass Equalization: Maximize bass response and minimize distortion.
- Ported Down-firing Subwoofer with 5¼” Drivers: Enjoy deeper bass thanks to greater air displacement.
Convenience
Simplify life.
- Center Channel LCD Clip: Mount directly onto most flat-panel displays.
- Wall-Mountable Satellite Speakers: Just rotate the stands to switch from desktop to wall.
- Control Pod: Easily access power, volume, bass, Matrix Mode and your headphone jack.
- Stereo Headphone Jack: Enjoy your music, movies and games privately.
- Plug and Play: Easily connect to PCs, CD and MP3 players.
Specifications
Hardware
- Drivers:
Satellites: (2) 5.1 cm drivers per satellite
Subwoofer: 13.3 cm ported driver- Speaker dimensions (H x W x D):
Satellites: 21.3 cm x 8.1 cm x 12.7 cm
Centre channel: 19.8 cm x 12.1 cm x 9.5 cm
Subwoofer: 28.6 cm x 16.5 cm x 24.8 cmTechnical Specifications
- Total RMS power: 70 watts RMS
Satellites: 45 watts RMS (2 x 7.4W front, 15.4W centre, 2 x 7.4W rear)
Subwoofer: 25 watts RMS- Total peak power: 140 watts
- Frequency response: 40 Hz – 20 kHz
- Speakers: 4 satellites, 1 centre channel, 1 subwoofer
- Control centre
- Colour-coded audio cables
- Game console adapter
- User manual
- 2-year limited warranty
OK, so I finally got around to watching this…. so much better than HSM2, and on par, if not better, than HSM1!
My favourite song of the film was ‘Scream’:
Really high production values, great sets/costumes/songs throughout, I cannot rave about this enough (hence why I’m trying to keep this post short and succinct as otherwise we’ll be here all night hehe).
I especially liked how HSM3 marked not only the end of the ’school life’ of the characters, but also the end of the whole HSM franchise (for these actors, anyway!). I think that helped to add a bit extra to the audience reaction…. I certainly found the story much more engaging because of it!
Whether or not HSM4 lives up to this, it remains to be seen (personally, I think that it’s doubtful), though for the time being, I’m going to be humming along to the music for weeks!
Movie Trailer
The Boys Are Back
We’re All In This Together (Graduation Mix)
I watched Night Watch last night on the recommendation of Greg’s brother… alas I wasn’t particularly impressed, despite the half-decent sounding blurb on the back of the DVD case.
This is a Russian language film (available in the UK as subtitled and/or dubbed) and is part of a trilogy and loosely follows the first part of the book of the same name.
The synopsis is as below:
Set in contemporary Moscow, NIGHT WATCH (NOCHNOI DOZOR) uncovers the other-world battle that upholds a 1000-year-old truce between the forces of Light and the forces of Darkness. For centuries, the undercover members of the Night Watch have policed the world’s Dark Ones –the vampires, witches, shape-shifters and sorcerers that wage treachery in the night — while the Dark Ones have a Day Watch that in turn polices the forces of Light. The fate of humanity rests in this delicate balance between good and evil but that fate is in jeopardy …
Ancient prophecy foretells that one day a “Great One” will arrive who can end the apocalyptic battle between Light and Dark conclusively. That time has arrived in Moscow – but which side will the Great One choose?
Source: http://www.cinema.com/film/9188/night-watch/synopsis.phtml
Sounds great yeah?
Well unfortunately, I didn’t find it nearly half as engaging as the film could have been, and was somewhat disappointed.
The main reason that I have decided to blog about this film however, is due to the cool animated subtitles that theatrical version of the film has – alas FOX seem to have removed all of the clips on YouTube. As an example, a lad gets a nose-bleed in the swimming pool and the subtitles are then made of blood and disolve into the water etc.
That said, perhaps most disappointing was the lack of technical detail on the film itself – especially when they have gone all out on making fab subtitles!
At one point, the whole of Moscow is plunged into a power cut… yet, as the lights all come back on, you can see aeroplanes literally just taking off from the airport…! As if! Tsk! That’s just sloppy!
All in all, perhaps not a terrible film, but it could have been substantially better in my opinion!
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