Pardon me for the slight delay….

You can expect your monthly movie guide around next week…just as soon as I get all my facts right

Here is my updated eclectic ranking according to Last.fm

Take your top 20 artists. For each of these artists, collect the top 5 similar artists. The resulting number of unique artists is your eclectic score.

If the score is small (extreme = 5) your musical preferences are very limited, and if it is large (larger than 80, extreme = 100), then you have an eclectic musical preference.

You can compute your own score here

My eclectic score is currently

94/100

The 94 related artists for my profile are:

• Aesop Rock
• Alicia Keys
• Amy Winehouse
• Architecture in Helsinki
• Belle and Sebastian
• Bobby Womack
• Bonde do Role
• Bootsy Collins
• Brian Eno
• Broadcast
• Bryan Ferry
• Cabaret Voltaire
• Clancy Eccles
• Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
• Common
• Curtis Mayfield
• David Bowie
• Derrick Morgan
• Don Drummond (aka Prince Buster)
• Duran Duran
• Dälek
• El-P
• Electronic
• Erasure
• Everything but the Girl
• Fatboy Slim
• Franz Ferdinand
• Funkadelic
• George Clinton
• George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic
• Goldfrapp
• Groove Armada
• Gwen Stefani
• Hi-Tek
• Iggy Pop
• Isaac Hayes
• James Dean Bradfield
• Japan
• Joss Stone
• Junior Senior
• Kaiser Chiefs
• Kanye West
• Kate Nash
• Klaxons
• Kylie Minogue
• Laurel Aitken
• Lily Allen
• Lou Reed
• Lush
• Madonna
• Magazine
• Mansun
• Mika
• Moloko
• Monade
• Mylo
• Nelly Furtado
• New Young Pony Club
• Nicky Wire
• Nine Inch Nails
• Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
• Parliament
• Peaches
• Pet Shop Boys
• Pulp
• Rhymefest
• Rilo Kiley
• Roy Ayers
• SHITDISCO
• Sage Francis
• Section 25
• Sophie Ellis-Bextor
• Stereolab
• Suede
• T. Rex
• Talib Kweli
• Talking Heads
• The Chemical Brothers
• The Concretes
• The Durutti Column
• The Ethiopians
• The Fiery Furnaces
• The Human League
• The Isley Brothers
• The Kooks
• The Libertines
• The Pipettes
• The Pop Group
• The Sea and Cake
• The Strokes
• The Velvet Underground
• Tilly and the Wall
• Tortoise
• Yo La Tengo

Music

I’ve managed to catch a pair of films yesterday - KUNG FU PANDA and - hold your breath - THE INCREDIBLE HULK!!!

Initially I was skeptical at Big Hollywood’s latest attempt to milk the Chinese wuxia genre for multiplex megabucks (for every bloodthirsty Quentin Tarantino, we get Balls of Fury and Chris Walken in pigtails). After reading the glowing reviews (and arming myself against the imminent aural innundation of Sam Concepcion’s fag-boyband take on Carl Douglas’s camp classic “Kung Fu Fighting”), I prepared for the awesomeness of jack Black and co.

Now…this is the way to do wuxia!!! Take it from the Shaw Brothers!

The mighty Gordon Liu schools ‘em in Return to the 36 Chambers!!

Lo Lieh in Five Fingers of Death - this shit is sho’ mad!

Mo’ Lo Lieh madness!!!!

The film is quite good, somewhat, in paying respect to classic Chinese martial arts films - the sheer defiance of gravity, the animal characters (I especially love Lucy Liu’s Viper, Seth Rogen’s Mantis and Randall Duk Kim’s Master Oogway) and even the unbrindled enthusiasm exhibited by the titular Po the Panda (Jack Black, not as OTT though as in Nacho Libre). I guess many viewers - I included - could see themselves in a lot of the scenes where Po tries to prove himself to the inhabitants of the Jade Palace, particularly a skeptical Master Shi-Fu (Dustin Hoffman).

I especially loved setpieces such as Tai Lung’s escape from the maximum security prison and its rhino army (look for them to turn up in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, heheh), not to mention Po’s eventual showdown with Tai, a former protege of Master Shi-Fu. It may have helped having Jackie Chan on board (as Monkey)…he must’ve had quite a lot of input in scenes like these, preserving the eye-candy appeal of all these Chinese martial arts movies while making it all kid-friendly at the side (no sounds of bones cracking, no Drunken Masters).

Jackie Chan in top-notch form as the Drunken Master

The crisp, fluid animation of the fight sequences manages to capture the frenzied, gravity-defying sequences of classic Chinese wuxia epics. Even the strains used in the film’s music score shows that the animators have definitely done their homework in making sure they capture the essence of these masterpieces of fight cinema.

Makes me want to scour the alleys of Chinatown to stock up on all these wonderful Shaw Brothers and Lo Lieh titles…

Take it from the Master - this is the way to do Kung Fu Fighting!!!

As for the latest incarnation of Stan Lee & Jack Kirby’s homage to Beauty & the Beast, Edward Norton does manage to show significantly more depth in his portrayal of Bruce Banner than Eric Bana (in Ang Lee’s version, which is referred to in the opening montage).

The origin of the Hulk - first episode of the 1966 animated series

As the previous movie ended with Ol’ Mean Green somewhere in South America, we see Edward Norton’s Bruce Banner trying to find the peace he has long sought in a Brazilian favela, working at a beverage bottling plant. Soon enough, it turns into a combination of City of God and The Bourne Ultimatum as Gen. “Thunderbolt” Ross manage to track him all the way over there, so he sends over a crack commando team of operatives led by Russian-born British SAS official Emil Blonsky to flush out the fugitive. A wonderfully-executed Parkour chase ensues (yep, they were choreographed by Cyril Raffaelli, who also did the set-ups for the Casino Royale remake)

Soon enough, the despondent Banner makes his way back into the USA, where he manages to find Betty Ross (who has found a new love in the guise of some psychiatrist or something) while moonlighting as a delivery boy for Stanley’s (hehehe….we get it *inner fanboy chuckling*) Pizza Parlor. Betty risks her tenure at the prestigious Culver University to join Banner as a fellow fugitive - much to the the consternation of her estranged father, Gen. “Thunderbolt” himself. Meanwhile, as Blonsky meets up with a particularly savage beating in the hands of an enraged Hulk, he gets himself irradiated with the same gamma rays as the Mean Green One (with Ross’ encouragement). Transformed into an even stronger, more brutal and twisted version of The Hulk, Blonsky gets his comeuppance on a savage, balls-out brawl on the streets of New York.

Well….

• Stan Lee cameo - check!
• Fanboy nods to both comic book and TV series - check check!!!
• Tony Stark - check check check!!!
• Lou Ferrigno - what check? HULK SMAAAAAASH!!!!!

Ed Norton does quite an okay job in injecting greater depth in his role as Bruce Banner, notwithstanding rumors of undue script interference. Casting him is an even greater masterstroke as he provides the very unassuming that befits the Banner character - who could have thought that someone with his mild-mannered demeanor could also be the savage CGI-enhanced green-skinned beast that is the Hulk? On the other hand, Liv Tyler’s Betty Ross comes of as supportive (especially when their circumstances are severely compromised at the risk of easy detection) but she is even worse-written than Gwyneth Paltrow’s Pepper Potts character in Iron Man.

Classic Hulk - “Where Strikes the Behemoth”

Classic Hulk - “Lair of the Leader”

Louis Leterrier’s direction befits the quickened-up adrenaline-pumped take on this character (something that followers of the Ang Lee film have somewhat scored in said adaptation). He does have an innate feel for capturing high-speed chases and the visceral thrill of clanging, twisted metal - at the expense of providing a more sympathetic insight to the turmoil beneath Bruce Banner’s character. For instance, I would admit that the scene where Hulk and Betty hie away to a cave amidst a torrential rain is a tad too close to Peter Jackson’s King Kong remake (I can imagine Jackson getting his solicitors to go after Marvel Studios). It is easy - and quite cheap, IMHO - to draw comparisons between the styles of Letterier and Iron Man’s Jon Favreau (but at least the former doesn’t engage himself in an acting cameo), but for capturing the sheer ferocity of the Hulk, the former also gets the edge.

As the fanboy that I am - catching the midnight screening - I can say that this is the Hulk that Ang Lee should have made.

Movie reviews

Over the past several weeks, I couldn’t help but wax ecstatic over this new show, Pushing Daisies, which airs every Tuesday at 8 pm over at ETC 2nd Avenue. However, given that my other current favourite, Gossip Girl, airs at exactly the same time, I decided to make do with the Sunday re-runs at 9 pm (which meant sacrificing Samantha Who? over at Studio 23 - but now that I’m updated with Gossip Girl episodes to the season finale thanks to my ever-resourceful niece, I can savour the fresh-baked Daisies goodness on Tuesdays)

Pushing Daisies revolves around the adventures of Ned (Lee Pace), a pie-maker who has the uncanny gift to restore the dead back to life. However, such an awesome gift has its limiting circumstances: if said revivee was to be touched a second time, he/she is dead for good; likewise, if one minute passes since subject’s life is restored, a random life has to taken away…whether it be a bird, a frog or even a dear loved one.

A bit like Michael Moorcock’s Elric without his soul-sucking sword Stormbringer.

Ned’s unique gift gains him the alliance of Emerson Cod (Chi McBride), a private investigator of rather dubious scruples. Together, they scour the morgues for quick resolutions resulting to instantaneous cash rewards.

One such subject eventually becomes Ned’s unwitting love interest - Charlotte “Chuck” Charles (Anna Friel), who lovingly dotes on her two reclusive aunts. Her life changes the minute she embarks on a cruise which leads to her murder - and eventual revival into the hands of Ned. Over the course of the first season, Chuck tries to find a way to show Ned how much she loves him - even if it entails stuff like Saran Wrap and prosthetic hands.

While Emerson grudgingly accepts Chuck’s entry in Ned’s life, one person is particularly displeased - Olive Snook (the petite yet oh-so-adorable Kristin Chenoweth), Ned’s loyal waitress at The Pie Hole, the restaurant Ned owns. Y’see, Olive’s had a long-repressed crush on Ned, which tends to manifest itself outright in really awkward situations.

Olive Snook channels Sandra Dee from Grease

What I love about this show - which could be best described as “a threesome between CSI, Moonlighting and ‘Amelie’” - is that it doesn’t apologize for its hyper-stylized, color-heavy appearance. Indeed, such inventive don’t-give-a-fuckness is a breath of fresh air at a time when TV programming is often accused of pandering to the lowest common denominator (we’re looking at you, Mrs. Kardashian and Lohan ). Jim Dale’s smooth-as-butter prose narration gives the show an almost fairy-tale like feel, underpinning the nonetheless bizarre cases that Ned and Emerson often face (this one takes the cake - oops, I mean pie - a company manufacturing a concept car running on dandelion power covering up crash-test-dummy reports).

Credit for managing the otherwise unwieldy concept juxtaposition lies in the hands of Bryan Fuller, who was responsible for prior attempts at imparting magical realism with a dab of slightly dark humour in primetime series like Wonderfalls (with its talking figurines) and Dead Like Me. He has a formidable ally this time around in the person of veteran filmmaker/producer Barry Sonnenfeld (no stranger in shepherding quirky product to mainstream audiences with the Addams Family and Men In Black movies under his belt).

The stories manage to pack in the requisite twists enough to satisfy procedural fans…with interesting use of milieus in every episode (horse racing in one, competitive dog-breeding and polygamy in another). The cases, thankfully, are self-contained in every episode, so there’s no danger of ideas being quickly burnt out - not yet, at least. As for the quirkiness, thankfully it doesn’t get too overboard or cloying.

Lee Pace’s Ned is endearingly awkward but unflappable when it comes to dealing with knowing the limits of his powers. Anna Friel (who sports a really convincing American accent here) is charming without being ingratiating in her role as Chuck (who happened to be Ned’s childhood sweetheart). Providing their requisite amount of tang in the atmosphere are Swoosie Kurtz and Ellen Greene as Chuck’s aunts, former synchronized swimming stars and veterans of the county-fair circuit.

Olive and one of Chuck’s aunts cover The Mighty Lemon Drops

Scheduling hassles aside…if Samantha Who moves to Thursdays opposite Two and a Half Men just before Desperate Housewives to make way for Dirty Sexy Money…bah, nevermind, I’d still stick with the “Daisies”. I just hope this rookie drama should get not just one or two…but maybe four Emmy awards come September 21.

My campaign for an Emmy victory for Pushing Daisies officially begins here.

television

I first got into the Monster Hunter Freedom game just a couple of months after getting my PSP.

What impressed me about this game was not just the impressive graphics and iconic music (you can tell that I’m quite the fan, given that I can recognize the majestic horn fusillade that opens each scene as well as the musical cues that tell you that danger is about) but also the awesome customization options and open-ended gameplay.

Soon enough, I’ve developed a familiarity with many of the varied and colorful beasts populating the MHF universe, whether it be the “boss” dragons of the slaying quests or the various dinosaur-inspired support beasts (slow-moving herbivores like apceroses and aptonoths which can be slain for raw meat that is cooked to make nutritious steaks as well as the velociraptor-inspired Velociprey/Genprey/Loprey). You come to see the hard-charging wild boars, Bullfango, as a persistent nuisance while you regard those thieving cats, Melynx, as a mere annoyance.

Nice use of the Pirates of the Carribean theme!!!

More than just being able to undertake quests on one’s own, one can team up with up to three other players in ad hoc mode. There, low-ranked players can increase their standing, skill levels and even get some loot that they may not otherwise gain with their underpowered weapon/armour sets. The bounties from such activity can be used to upgrade their weapons as well as armour.

MHF1 Ancient/Worn weapons

Check out her foxxy Khezu armour!!!

Monster Hunter Freedom isn’t just about slaying all manner of creatively-rendered beasties; players can engage in activities like resource farming, subsistence fishing and mining. There are also training schools where players are pitted against boss monsters in an arena setting while being provided the best weapons at hand as well as a variety of armour sets.

The weapon sets provide a wide spectrum of customization options, with the high-end “rarer” weapons capable of imparting elemental damage. In Monster Hunter Freedom, players can choose from a variety of great/long swords, sword/shield sets, dual swords (me likey -especially when poisoned), hammers (a personal favourite!!!) and bowguns.

The satisfaction isn’t just in being able to just farm/carve up enough stuff to get the armour of one’s dreams, but also in getting to slay monsters, especially on Village Chief quests where you are very much on your own. Gathering Hall quests are also advisable, as this gives relative newbies the chance to see how the “big boys/girls” do it while getting a share of quest loot.

The initial Monster Hunter Freedom gave players three different worlds - Forest/Hills, Swamp, Desert and Volcano - where players can roam about freely and either slay, pick or scavenge. Desert and Volcano provides additional environmental challenge due to the blistering heat that can sap one’s vitality.

With Monster Hunter Freedom 2 - which I got just earlier this year - players are given not just the ability to port their previously saved MHF characters to this version, but also a wider selection of armours and weapons, with bows, gunlances and hunting horns - hammer-type weapons with musical qualities capable of producing effect buffs beneficial to ad hoc party quests - added to the extensive list. Gunlances provide a combination of bowguns’ firepower with the piercing ability of lances (hence their name); they are versatile and reliable, if a bit unwieldy when one looks for fast manoeuvrability.

In addition to that, there are vastly improved world-stages with the addition of snow-covered mountains (where your character actually winds up at the beginning of your stint with the said game) and even inventive urgent quests where you get to defend a fort from the rampage of some Godzilla-sized hermit crab among others. Climactic effects are more pronounced this time around, with your character actively panting due to extreme heat or shivering from the cold; it is often advisable to bring a good supply of drinks for that matter. Even the array of monsters has been greatly expanded, with such MHF favourites such as the Yian Kut-Ku, Gypceros and Rathalos being kept company by whole new sets such as the crustacean-inspired Carapaceons (Hermitaurs, Ceanataurs) and the ape-inspired Primatius (Blangos, Congas, Blangongas and Congalalas) .

Just to show you how much creativity the good folks at Capcom
have invested in making sure the monsters look soo good…even if
you have to cut off their tails or beat the living shit out of them

PSP gaming

It is official…the

Summer Blockbuster™

season is indeed on - and in full swing!!!

The past month, I have managed to catch both Iron Man and Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull…missed (missed it by that much, as Steve Carell’s Agent 86 is wont to say) Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (oh well, just wait for the official DVD release with all of the so-called deleted bits restored).

I even shed a tear over Sharon Cuneta’s Caregiver trouncing the Sex & the City movie locally…but then again, the Filipino masa (particularly those either without cable or who stick to either PBO or CinemaOne) isn’t expected to shed a tear over Carrie Bradshaw’s Cosmo-soaked surrender to marital bliss. In one PinoyExchange post, I commented on the apparent similarities between these two movies inspite of their contrasting millieus…I did arrive at the conclusion, though, that suffice we say that we bash local films for their excessive use of product placements, Hollywood is also guilty of engaging in that sneaky practice - in an increasing level, sort to say.

June 4
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Ho-hum….yet another go-round in the chopsuey fantasyland of Narnia. Yet more bloodless (this is a Disney production - remember!!!) monster battles and Aslan roaring to saaaaaave the daaaaay!!!

At least the predecessor had Tilda Swinton’s peerless White Queen.

June 6
Kung Fu Panda

Get ready to be awed as Po the Panda makes you wanna FEEL the THUNDER!!!!

I can say that Dreamworks is going to have a Shrek-class CGI-animated winner in its hands. Imagine corraling a whole lineup of comic talent - not to mention Jackie Chan to add to the authenicity of this enterprise - to lend their voice talents to this animal-driven send-up of Chinese wuxia and chopsocky. (Sorry, no Drunken Master here - this is family entertainment!!!!)

Though I am dismayed that local talent Sam Concepcion will be lending his voice to the film’s theme song - a slightly reworded version of Carl Douglas’ 70’s camp classic Kung Fu Fighting - maybe in an attempt to lure more Pinoys in moviehouses for this (were the DW beancounters taking notes on Bee Movie’s stunning failure in local cinemas), I can say that I would much prefer Cee-Lo Green’s take on this:

Cee-Lo takes a break from Gnarls Barkley to join forces with Jack Black

Meanwhile, here is Sam Concepcion’s take on the said song…

This has been in heaaavy rotation all over the Solar-owned cable channels - ETC/ETC 2nd Avenue/C/S

Here is a version by Korean megastar Rain (obviously, for the Korean release of Kung Fu Panda):

So tell me….which version is better???

June 11
The Incredible Hulk
The Happening
Grace is Gone

Am I feeling amped that this latest Hulk movie would give Edward Norton the boost to be able to carry a movie on his shoulders? Given that Transporter helmer Louis Leterrier has resolved to pump up the action on this “from the ground up” reworking of Stan Lee’s not-so-Jolly Green Giant tale, I can say that Marvel Studios has another winner on its hands after the money machine that is Iron Man.

Bruce Banner gets into Hulk mode….

this Reservoir Dog puts up a mean fight agains’t ol’ Mean Green himself - great Capoeira moves on the part of Blonsky!

Street showdown between Blonsky/Abomination and the Hulkster - see how a NYPD car becomes a pair of boxing gloves augmenting Hulk’s awesome punches!!!

On the other hand…my curiosity may get the better of me so I could go take a gander over at The Happening…even if I felt somewhat betrayed by M. Night Shyamalan’s last cinematic outings (Lady in the Water was an awesome waste of Paul Giamatti’s talent). Then again, I’ve always been a loyal viewer of Mark Wahlberg’s films - maybe because it is for the egoless, effortless performances he imparts on each of them. No Oscar-baiting Method exercises for this onetime rapper whose initial claim to fame lay on the well- toned abs he’d flash in his music videos.

June 18
Prom Night
Urduja
the ruins
Get Smart

Oh no…oh yes, yet another beloved TV show from way-back-when gets reintroduced for Generation YouTube. Steve Carell gamely fills in the shoe(phone)s of Don Adams as his desk-bound analyst finally gets the field assignment of his dreams as Agent 86 opposite Anne Hathaway’s Agent 99.

Ms. Hathaway is sharply dressed yet looks as scrumptuous as ever!!!

Look also for Masi “Hiro Nakamura” Oka and Ken “Azamat” Davitian in this lovable doozy.

Meanwhile, there is Urduja, which is being touted as the very first locally-made animated film employing the services of a team of world-class Filipino animators (a lot of who appears to have cut their teeth for Disney and DreamWorks productions). The Disney influences are heavy on this one, from the Mulan-esque design of the title character (taken from a Pangansinense folk tale) to the obligatory Scene-Stealing Animal Sidekicks™ (SSAS).

This project is propped up with an A-caliber list of voice talent culled from local cinema including:

Regine Velasquez as the titular Princes Urduja
Cesar Montano as the Chinese pirate Lim Hang
Eddie Garcia (no mistaking that baritone) as Lakanpati
Epi Quizon as Daisuke
Allan K. as Tarsir (SSAS alert!!!)
Michael V. as Kukut (SSAS alert!!!)

June 25
accidental husband
Be Kind Rewind
Wanted
boy A

You just can’t get enough of Jack Black’s awesomeness (not to mention fellow Kung Fu Panda voice talent Angelina Jolie, in general), so here they are headlining two separate film releases.

First off is Be Kind Rewind, where Jack along with Mos Def goes through nearly a century of cinematic history on a fantastically shoestring budget as they attempt to recreate an entire video store’s collection of titles (you should check out what they have done to the likes of Robocop and Ghostbusters!!!)

now that’s the “sweded” trailer for you!!!

On the other hand, this is guaranteed to really up the game as far as comic-book-to-film adaptations go. Working out of a visceral graphic novel by Judge Dredd/The Authority/Sin City veteran Mark Millar, Russian Timur Bekmanbetov imparts the sheer visual style he has so sumptuously displayed in his Night Watch/Day Watch films into this classy action-fantasy guaranteed to - pardon the tired cliche - out-Matrix™ The Matrix Trilogy™. Plus points for a cast that includes Academy Award®-winner Morgan Freeman, rapper Common and Atonement’s James McAvoy as the non-hero who finds himself in these extraordinary circumstances.

Ange’s tatted back FTW

Wasn’t that the Dodge Viper featured in Day Watch?

Ooops, my bad….it was a Mazda RX8!!! Gotta admit, that was the high point in this film, which I managed to catch in a local theatre dubbed in English (not bad for dubbing work - Eastern European accents add to authencity)

movie releases

Too bad I didn’t make it during the first-day screening (upon which I’d really be eager to tell the rest of the world if a film is good to watch or just to skip). In that case, I decided to rely on the goodwill of a Movie Franchise™ and finally catch Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

For that, I had to really reset my brains…that meant looking forward to the visceral junk-food thrills that George Lucas™ and Steven Seag…oooopps, I mean Spielberg™’s combined homage to b&w serial cliffhangers of the Twenties/Thirties promises to deliver.

Just to jog your memory…original theatrical trailer for Raiders of the Lost Ark

WWII is over…that means instead of nasty Nazis, we now have curvaceous Commies (in the person of Cate Blanchett’s Irina Spalko character, who styles herself as “Stalin’s fair-haired girl” while looking like a toned-down dominatrix) and their lunkheaded allies (Yes. It was in the news. Russia’s Communist Party were even considering a “fatwa” against Ford and Blanchett, accusing them of being “running dogs for the CIA”. Now that beats a Communist Party of the Philippines spokesman blaming President Arroyo for Crispin Beltran’s death. How rich.) In the opening sequences, we see Indy being taken for a ride by a pair of Feds (who look like Don Vito’s consiglieres) all the way into Area 51 in Nevada. His money-grubbing comrade Mac (you can always rely on a Brit actor to play someone who can literally stab you on the back. How rich.) betrays Indy on a posse of Russkies under Spalko’s command. The ensuing fight triggers a nuclear explosion, where Indy-boy saves his ass by hiding out in a lead-lined refrigerator in the suburban mock-up town next to the testing center (Indy in the suburban jungle??? How rich.)

Well, Indiana’s back teaching college students but he finds his sinecure under peril for his association with Mac. He considers a long furlough in NYC but his idyll gets interrupted when Mutt Williams (Shia LaPoo …oops, I mean LeBoeuf) steps into his life , vrooming onto the scene like Marlon Brando in “The Wild One” (Mr. Brando may be rolling in his grave on this one…but that…Phil of the Future!!! As me?????)

Next thing he knows, he (Mutt in tow) is off to Peru (supposedly to investigate the Nazca lines being messages from extra-terrestrial “gods”)…where he bumps into - tan tan-an-annnn!!! Marion Ravenwood!!! His barmaid-paramour from Raiders of the Lost Ark is at it again, still on the trail of lost cities and the treasures they contain within. From Peru, the destined trio venture into the heart of the Amazon jungle, where they do not so much as worry about piranha and candiru but ravenous, carnivorous fire ants by the gajillion. Eventually joining them would be that oh-sooo-reliable turncoat Mac and Oxley, a former colleague of Jones who appears to have been driven mad by a Crystal Skull that he has in his possession.

A lushly-photographed and innovatively-executed chase-scene-cum-swordfight takes place in the jungles, followed by the temple scene involving a puzzle-based unlocking (methinks this was better done, though, in National Treasure: Book of Secrets). John Hurt really does steal his scenes as the addled Oxley, while Ray Winstone’s Mac does provide nefarious comic relief. Thankfully, Cate Blanchett resists pushing the camp envelope as Irina Spalko - she could have become Natasha Fatale if she tried.

Boris & Natasha from the original Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoons

Harrison Ford is still in the game, quipping away danger as usual; I’m pretty much amazed as to how his pushing-60 frame could withstand the falls and bruises he encounters in his adventures (liked the way he backed into the truck’s windscreen). Shia, in fairness, pulls a decent Brando impresh (complete with switchblade flicking skills); that should, however, rekindle interest into the original’s Fifties body of work.

Kinda surprised though, as to how this film managed to get by with a GP-rating in local cinemas even if there was a mild amount of swearing (though thankfully none of the F— and M-F variety). Loyal fans may be pleased at references to the other Indy films carefully placed within this one (for starters, check out what’s with the booty being stored over at Area 51.)

All that I can say is that I’m satisfied (inspite of the rather corny cliche ending) and Indy can now lay his hat and whip to rest (No Mutt, not yet…)

Movie reviews

Here I am, grumbling over the unavailability of much of  Prince’s Coachella performances “due to a copyright claim filed by NPG Records”….

Nevertheless, Coachella was a stunning showcase not only for established acts like Prince, The Verve and Portishead (making precious live comebacks on US soil) but also for up-and-coming names to make their presence known on this bigger stage. 

Take, for instance, Duffy. You may have read my post on how I am bigging up on this Welsh singer-songwriter determined to follow Amy Winehouse’s footsteps to global domination - while hopefully sidestepping the tabloid-bitch antics.

Duffy’s “Warwick Avenue”

Duffy brings the house down with her UK #1 “Mercy”

Kinda mixed though…the baby blue denim teddy kinda meh in my book. Nevertheless, I’m looking into getting myself a copy of “Rockferry”.  

On the other end of the spectrum, whoever said that the drum & bass scene in the UK is dead should catch Pendulum’s stunning Coachella set!!!

Pendulum does their UK Top hit “Propane Nightmares” at Coachella 2008

Pendulum gives due props to the Prodigy with their cover of “Voodoo People”

It was also pretty big that rising UK stars Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip would take a break from their UK tour to play the States for the first time.   I’ve loved their sly rhymed track “Thou Shalt Always Kill” which has drawn comparisons to The Streets.

Dan & Scroob shoot on festivals and the UK/USA release divide among others…

See them perform “Thou Shalt Always Kill”…doesn’t Scroob look a lot like an escapee from ZZ Top???

They even give mad props to 2nd-day headliner Prince by covering his track “Cream”   

On the DJ department, there was no shortage of stunning sets during of three-day event, which included:

Fatboy Slim

See how he opens with Gene Wilder’s rendition of “Pure Imagination” from the original “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” film before segueing into “Praise You”

Erol Alkan
 
Nice tribal influenced set from the chap who sexed up even further Duran Duran’s already-sexxxy “Girls on Film”

Sandra Collins

See this trance DJ reinterpret The Who’s classic “Baba O’Riley” for the ‘ella audience!

Busy P

SebastiAn
 
Video from attendee sherbertjello features eclectic yet stunning sets from these Ed Banger DJs

More to come….as I start showing love to MGMT and Yelle, among others….

Music

The past month, I haven’t been able to catch a single film because of my once-again burgeoning work schedule and an attendant shortage of funds.   Nevertheless, all things stand to change from this month on, as I greet the oncoming Summer Blockbuster™ season in the US with a pocketful of ticket- spending money. 

As with previous posts, most local releases are noted in italics while titles I am definitely looking forward to see on screen are indicated in orange. 

may 7
Speed Racer
Deception
What Happens in Vegas
Kamasutra Night

I’m strongly determined to stay away from the moviehouses…unless, though, to oblige a friend who might not yet have seen Iron Man - I’m looking for this to run an iron-clad 3-4 weeks at the local b.o.  

I’m sooo not sold on Speed Racer - the trailers gave me the impression that this is going to be yet another piece of CGI wankery…something like the shotgun marriage of a candy-floss (cotton-candy) machine gone haywire and a Brobdignagian roller coaster.  This is supposed to be from the Wachowski brothers (???) who really spoiled a generation of SF-film geeks with their over-indulgent Matrix trilogy.  Yet, worse than the Transformers, it appears to have shut out its anime origins in an attempt to woo as wide a market as possible.

Deception (can’t they think of a more original title for an R-rated erotic thriller?????)…is it me or is Hugh Jackman really throwing his lot on this sorry Eyes Wide Shut (Stanley Kubrick must be turning in his grave) pastiche?  (At least…co-star Ewan MacGregor has the “Da Vinci Code” prequel to look forward to).   Maybe he must be feeling sorry over the failure of his small-screen venture “Viva Laughlin”…. 

may 14
Ikaw Pa Rin
Call Center
Perfect Creature
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
Mega Snake

Here continues the misadventures of America’s favourite Asian stoners…they were supposed to ”head” for Amsterdam, but they get stopped by Homeland Security ‘coz Kumar gets mistaken for an Arab terrorist!!!  Before they know it, their asses get clapped into Gitmo - but in true H & K fashion, they managed to get out and run into Neil Patrick Harris along the way before hightailin’ it over to a certain You-Know-Who’s ranch in Texas.

Here’s the rated-R trailer!!!

Harold & Kumar….ftw!!!

Perfect Creature….hmmm, haven’t I seen this on Star Movies?  Methinks they were airing this sometime last  month or two…I don’t know, but whoever’s putting this sorry-looking Underworld rip-off (Eastern European cleavage-check!  Pseudo-gothic ad layouts on local broadsheets-check!!) onto local screens must be reminded that not all moviegoers can be fooled….

may 21
Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Forever Boys

Once again - just as with Iron Man -  Pinoy moviegoers get the jump over their stateside brethren by a couple of days on this one.  Is it me or are there just too many Louise Brooks bobs swimming about for Cate Blanchett to don one (Holy Rihanna, Batman!!!)

Nevertheless, it must be fascinating to see if grizzled vet Harrison Ford can teach young pup Shia LaBoeuf a few tricks or two…and maybe take Nic Cage to task for ripping him off in the National Treasure films.

may 28
dagaw
Torotot
Caregiver
Sex & The City
21
All the Boys Love Mandy Lane

I’m soo looking forward to catching 21 locally…

…not just because of its whip-smart casting but its equally crisp soundtrack featuring recent Coachella faves MGMT and Soulwax’s reworking of the Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Get What You Want”. 
 
“Chicken Dinner” clip from 21

“You Should Come to Vegas” clip from 21

I love the way india.arie’s version of Don Henley’s “Heart of the Matter” was used in the film…however, in the end, I am still mixed as to whether to catch this estrogenfest - and be marked as a traitor to my butt-scratching console-jockey kind - or steer the heck clear out of this.  Or should I surrender to my inner UES-worshipping Chuck Bass and give in to a lady friend’s temptation to serve as arm candy….

More is expected to come over the next couple of months, including the entry of two - oops, make that, three more costumed heroes in local cinemas (woe betide to any local offerings threatening to show up against them):

The Incredible Hulk

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

The Dark Knight - “Jokerized” trailer!!!

moviesmovie releases

So far so good…The entire Coachella weekend came and went. 

I was going to do some blow-by-blow daily posts over the weekend but my work schedule went into the way.   I tried posting on the very day only to find the YouTube download service to WP pretty slow.

 I have decided to go along and post a number of highlights during the three-day show…hope you bear even if several days have passed by since.

Among the comeback artists making a splash at the three-day event were The Verve.  Richard Ashcroft was once again at vocals…he and his bandmates never failed to please the crowd in delivering tracks like the show-stopper “Bittersweet Symphony” 

The strings never fail to move the desert masses…

New song “I Sit And Wonder” is said to indicate an electro
direction for them…even it if comes off a bit like a poor-man’s
U2

Portishead was undoubtedly one of the highlghts of the entire festival, doing what could be their one and only US live stop as they get set to launch their new CD “Third”. 

Renditions of their much-loved tracks from their back-catalogue went down pretty well…

 
“Sour Times”

“Glory Box”

 but it was tracks like “Machine Gun” which sealed the deal.

The hard, raw electro bleeps and synth stabs don’t look out
of place in a NiN CD.

 
“The Rip” - nice acoustic lead on this one…

On a related - well - tip, Goldfrapp took the advantage to share their new “psych-folk” influenced sound with the sun-drenched California crowd. 

“Happiness” - highlighting Alison G.’s breathy vox, undoubtedly
one of the high points of their current “The Seventh Tree” CD

 
“Ooh La La”…great build up there!

“Strict Machine” really got the crowd jumping with its glam-rock
stomp

Meanwhile…there appears to be something of a catfight over at Indio.  On one side, we see Maya Arulpragasam (aka M.I.A.):

“Hussel” & “Paper Planes” w/ Afrikan Boy

“Boyz”

On the other side, we have Brooklyn’s own Santi White (aka Santogold):

 
“L.E.S. Artistes”

“Creator” where she throws the gauntlet to Maya with her
whoops and DJ-assisted bleeps 

Music