Monday, March 29, 2010
2001 (mix CD of every year of my life series):
1. Heartbreak Even (Ani DiFranco) (audio only)
2. I Was a Kaleidoscope (Death Cab for Cutie) (official audio)
3. Night Shift Guru (The Cash Brothers) (audio only)
4. How It Goes (For Stars)
5. Parkdale (Metric)
6. Night On the Sun (Modest Mouse) (official audio)
7. Scarlette (Unwound) (unofficial upload of official video)
8. BBTone (Pinback) (audio only)
9. Science Vs. Romance (Rilo Kiley) (official audio)
10. Atropine (Rainer Maria) (audio only)
11. Leaning Against the Wall (Evil Tordivel Upbeat Remake) (Kings of Convenience) (official audio)
12. The Path of Least Persistence (Figure II) (Shannon Wright) (audio only)
13. 미쳐 (Michyo - Crazy) (Lee Jung Hyun) Korea (unofficial upload)
14. Return of the Tres (Delinquent Habits) (official audio)
15. Fire Alarm (Sahara Hotnights) (unofficial upload) (audio only)
16. Found That Soul (Manic Street Preachers)
17. Tell Me Why (Echobelly) (audio only)
18. Clint Eastwood (Gorillaz)
2000:
1. 줄래 (Joolae) (Lee Jung Hyun) Korea
2. Beautiful Day (U2)
3. Goodnight Moon (Shivaree) (audio only)
4. Hotel Pacific (Southern All-Stars) Japan (official audio)
5. Stand Inside Your Love (Smashing Pumpkins)
6. 本能 (Honnou - Instinct) (Shiina Ringo) Japan
7. Without Fire (764-HERO) (audio only)
8. Hated Because of Great Qualities (Blonde Redhead) (official audio)
9. Dirty Facade (Shannon Wright) (unofficial upload)
10. Sunday Song (Tara Jane O'Neil) (audio only)
11. Simple Kind of Life (No Doubt)
12. 성인식 (Seonginsik - Coming of Age Ceremony) (Park Ji Yoon) Korea
13. The Ballad of a Ladyman (Sleater-Kinney) (official audio)
14. Dark Center of the Universe (Modest Mouse) (official audio)
15. Red Vines (Aimee Mann)
16. Temptation of Egg (Giant Sand) (audio only)
17. I Love the WB (Versus) (audio only)
18. 風流女生 Romantic Girl (彭佳慧 Julia Peng) Taiwan
19. For What Reason (Death Cab for Cutie) (official audio)
20. Room Service (Pizzicato Five)
1999:
1. The Plan (Built to Spill) (official audio)
2. Drive Dead Slow (Sahara Hotnights) (unofficial live upload)
3. 歌舞伎町の女王 (Kabuki-cho no Jyou) (Shiina Ringo) Japan
4. Raining (Versus) (unofficial audio only)
5. 70%~夕暮れのうた (70% Yugure no Uta) (Chara) Japan (unofficial upload)
6. Rich Hum of Air (Shannon Wright) (audio only)
7. Bliss (Tori Amos)
8. Never Ending Math Equation (Modest Mouse) (official audio)
9. Deceptacon (Le Tigre) (unofficial upload)
10. Electricity (Suede)
11. Come Into (Enon) (audio only)
12. Pumping on Your Stereo (Supergrass)
13. Sweetness (Misia) Japan
14. Jukebox (Ani DiFranco)
15. 85 (Rilo Kiley) (official audio)
16. Aozora あおぞら (Shiina Ringo) Japan
17. Memorize Your Lines (Sleater-Kinney) (official audio)
18. What Crime Is It? (feat. Bootsy Collins) (Victor Wooten) (official audio)
19. You'll Follow Me Down (Skunk Anansie)
20. Loro (Pinback) (audio only)
1998:
1. Dead Red Eyes (Archers of Loaf) (official audio)
2. The Way (Fastball)
3. Gravel (Ani DiFranco) (unofficial upload)
4. すべりだい Suberidai (Shiina Ringo) Japan
5. History Lessons (764-HERO) (audio only)
6. iieee (Tori Amos) (unofficial upload) (official audio)
7. Duca (Chara) Japan
8. Annie-Dog (Smashing Pumpkins) (unofficial upload) (official audio)
9. $300 (Soul Coughing) (audio only)
10. Intifada Driving School (Seam) (audio only)
11. Missile (Blonde Redhead) (official audio)
12. Body Movin' (Beastie Boys)
13. Special (Garbage)
14. これが私の生きる道 Kore ga Watashi no Ikiru Dori (Puffy) Japan (unofficial upload)
15. Furry (100 Watt Smile) (audio only)
16. Wishlist (Pearl Jam) (official audio)
17. Someday We'll Know (New Radicals)
18. Ex Factor (Lauryn Hill)
19. Morning Glory (Versus) (unofficial audio only)
20. Pillars (Sunny Day Real Estate) (unofficial upload)
1994-1997
1. Heartbreak Even (Ani DiFranco) (audio only)
2. I Was a Kaleidoscope (Death Cab for Cutie) (official audio)
3. Night Shift Guru (The Cash Brothers) (audio only)
4. How It Goes (For Stars)
5. Parkdale (Metric)
6. Night On the Sun (Modest Mouse) (official audio)
7. Scarlette (Unwound) (unofficial upload of official video)
8. BBTone (Pinback) (audio only)
9. Science Vs. Romance (Rilo Kiley) (official audio)
10. Atropine (Rainer Maria) (audio only)
11. Leaning Against the Wall (Evil Tordivel Upbeat Remake) (Kings of Convenience) (official audio)
12. The Path of Least Persistence (Figure II) (Shannon Wright) (audio only)
13. 미쳐 (Michyo - Crazy) (Lee Jung Hyun) Korea (unofficial upload)
14. Return of the Tres (Delinquent Habits) (official audio)
15. Fire Alarm (Sahara Hotnights) (unofficial upload) (audio only)
16. Found That Soul (Manic Street Preachers)
17. Tell Me Why (Echobelly) (audio only)
18. Clint Eastwood (Gorillaz)
2000:
1. 줄래 (Joolae) (Lee Jung Hyun) Korea
2. Beautiful Day (U2)
3. Goodnight Moon (Shivaree) (audio only)
4. Hotel Pacific (Southern All-Stars) Japan (official audio)
5. Stand Inside Your Love (Smashing Pumpkins)
6. 本能 (Honnou - Instinct) (Shiina Ringo) Japan
7. Without Fire (764-HERO) (audio only)
8. Hated Because of Great Qualities (Blonde Redhead) (official audio)
9. Dirty Facade (Shannon Wright) (unofficial upload)
10. Sunday Song (Tara Jane O'Neil) (audio only)
11. Simple Kind of Life (No Doubt)
12. 성인식 (Seonginsik - Coming of Age Ceremony) (Park Ji Yoon) Korea
13. The Ballad of a Ladyman (Sleater-Kinney) (official audio)
14. Dark Center of the Universe (Modest Mouse) (official audio)
15. Red Vines (Aimee Mann)
16. Temptation of Egg (Giant Sand) (audio only)
17. I Love the WB (Versus) (audio only)
18. 風流女生 Romantic Girl (彭佳慧 Julia Peng) Taiwan
19. For What Reason (Death Cab for Cutie) (official audio)
20. Room Service (Pizzicato Five)
1999:
1. The Plan (Built to Spill) (official audio)
2. Drive Dead Slow (Sahara Hotnights) (unofficial live upload)
3. 歌舞伎町の女王 (Kabuki-cho no Jyou) (Shiina Ringo) Japan
4. Raining (Versus) (unofficial audio only)
5. 70%~夕暮れのうた (70% Yugure no Uta) (Chara) Japan (unofficial upload)
6. Rich Hum of Air (Shannon Wright) (audio only)
7. Bliss (Tori Amos)
8. Never Ending Math Equation (Modest Mouse) (official audio)
9. Deceptacon (Le Tigre) (unofficial upload)
10. Electricity (Suede)
11. Come Into (Enon) (audio only)
12. Pumping on Your Stereo (Supergrass)
13. Sweetness (Misia) Japan
14. Jukebox (Ani DiFranco)
15. 85 (Rilo Kiley) (official audio)
16. Aozora あおぞら (Shiina Ringo) Japan
17. Memorize Your Lines (Sleater-Kinney) (official audio)
18. What Crime Is It? (feat. Bootsy Collins) (Victor Wooten) (official audio)
19. You'll Follow Me Down (Skunk Anansie)
20. Loro (Pinback) (audio only)
1998:
1. Dead Red Eyes (Archers of Loaf) (official audio)
2. The Way (Fastball)
3. Gravel (Ani DiFranco) (unofficial upload)
4. すべりだい Suberidai (Shiina Ringo) Japan
5. History Lessons (764-HERO) (audio only)
6. iieee (Tori Amos) (unofficial upload) (official audio)
7. Duca (Chara) Japan
8. Annie-Dog (Smashing Pumpkins) (unofficial upload) (official audio)
9. $300 (Soul Coughing) (audio only)
10. Intifada Driving School (Seam) (audio only)
11. Missile (Blonde Redhead) (official audio)
12. Body Movin' (Beastie Boys)
13. Special (Garbage)
14. これが私の生きる道 Kore ga Watashi no Ikiru Dori (Puffy) Japan (unofficial upload)
15. Furry (100 Watt Smile) (audio only)
16. Wishlist (Pearl Jam) (official audio)
17. Someday We'll Know (New Radicals)
18. Ex Factor (Lauryn Hill)
19. Morning Glory (Versus) (unofficial audio only)
20. Pillars (Sunny Day Real Estate) (unofficial upload)
1994-1997
Friday, March 26, 2010
I wish I was documenting something more substantial in my day to day, but I think a lot of it is just more of the same of the same that I've redundantly said over and over again repeatedly. Even the jokes apparently.
In addition, I feel I am losing my perceptual facility. Unable to relay what's going on. Dementia of some sort. Numbing. Drinking all the time with few drying out periods. Still running and riding, but recovery periods are getting longer and it's just harder to recover.
I'm still active, maybe not as much as I could be since I don't have a job, but everything is just dulled. Actually, having a job was a pretty dulling experience. I'm still practicing bass and drums for no purpose. Still shooting, but not as much as I want.
I need my photography to get more unconscious. I think too much and then I end up not taking a shot. The time between seeing a potential shot and pushing the shutter needs to be shortened drastically, just as an exercise. The shot doesn't have to be good, but I have to shoot.
I hang out with people sometimes, not particularly often. The Alex/Ginny thing seems to have dried up. I was always just an afterthought to Alex anyway, and Ginny never instigated contacting me. But Ginny is still capable of giving me the warm and fuzzies. She is now, after all, the last person I will likely ever kiss, but it's nothing based on anything real.
I have to watch letting the isolation and lack of personal contact get to me, and remember that it's what I want. I enjoy the isolation. Hermit ideal, remember?
What I want to do is still clear. When is not. And it's not always an easy issue, if ever. It's obvious, not easy. Sometimes I can't imagine the world without me (if there's no me, obviously I can't imagine the world). Not that I matter to anyone, I really don't. If I killed myself and succeeded in not leaving a body, it would take weeks before any alarms sounded. And then it would just be hypothetical abstraction.
I guess it's only mind-blowing to the extent that I'm so attached to this existence and this bodily interface I have with this reality that is by nature illusory. Which is ironically the exact opposite of my life thesis. But in some ways, I really am attached to my being here. It's all that I know. And that's what I'm looking at to get over next. After all, we all have to go at some point.
In addition, I feel I am losing my perceptual facility. Unable to relay what's going on. Dementia of some sort. Numbing. Drinking all the time with few drying out periods. Still running and riding, but recovery periods are getting longer and it's just harder to recover.
I'm still active, maybe not as much as I could be since I don't have a job, but everything is just dulled. Actually, having a job was a pretty dulling experience. I'm still practicing bass and drums for no purpose. Still shooting, but not as much as I want.
I need my photography to get more unconscious. I think too much and then I end up not taking a shot. The time between seeing a potential shot and pushing the shutter needs to be shortened drastically, just as an exercise. The shot doesn't have to be good, but I have to shoot.
I hang out with people sometimes, not particularly often. The Alex/Ginny thing seems to have dried up. I was always just an afterthought to Alex anyway, and Ginny never instigated contacting me. But Ginny is still capable of giving me the warm and fuzzies. She is now, after all, the last person I will likely ever kiss, but it's nothing based on anything real.
I have to watch letting the isolation and lack of personal contact get to me, and remember that it's what I want. I enjoy the isolation. Hermit ideal, remember?
What I want to do is still clear. When is not. And it's not always an easy issue, if ever. It's obvious, not easy. Sometimes I can't imagine the world without me (if there's no me, obviously I can't imagine the world). Not that I matter to anyone, I really don't. If I killed myself and succeeded in not leaving a body, it would take weeks before any alarms sounded. And then it would just be hypothetical abstraction.
I guess it's only mind-blowing to the extent that I'm so attached to this existence and this bodily interface I have with this reality that is by nature illusory. Which is ironically the exact opposite of my life thesis. But in some ways, I really am attached to my being here. It's all that I know. And that's what I'm looking at to get over next. After all, we all have to go at some point.
FRIDAY, MARCH 19 - Corner of Sanmin and Jiankang Rds. Rainbow V 22mm lens toy camera, Ilford XP2 Super. |
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Making these CDs doesn't always go as smoothly as one might think. 1995 and 1996 were nightmares because of wrong year information in my iTunes collection in addition to song shuffling that often goes on until the final burn. Multiple burns were required until I got all the information right and was satisfied. I'm anal, so anytime the track list changed, I had to review the entire track order.
1997 (mix CD of every year of my life series):
1. Walkin' On the Sun (Smashmouth)
2. Song 2 (Blur)
3. Virtual Insanity (Jamiroquai)
4. I Am Einstein (The Pugs) Japan (audio only)
5. Twisted (Everyday Hurts) (Skunk Anansie)
6. Shake Hands With Beef (Primus) (unofficial upload?)
7. Neighborhood (Space)
8. Your Woman (White Town)
9. Fire Door (live) (Ani DiFranco) (audio only)
10. Everlong (Foo Fighters)
11. Heart Cooks Brain (Modest Mouse) (official audio)
12. I Would Hurt a Fly (Built to Spill) (official audio)
13. Ruin (Three Mile Pilot)
14. Adia (Sarah McLachlan)
15. やさしい気持ち (Yasashii Kimochi) (Chara) Japan
16. 愛 的初體驗 (Love's First Taste) (張震嶽) Taiwan
17. Cheapskate (Supergrass)
18. Things You Say (Sleater-Kinney) (official audio)
19. Drive Myself Distracted (Echobelly)
20. Exit Music (For a Film) (Radiohead) (official audio)
1996:
1. That's Just What You Are (Aimee Mann)
2. Trash (Suede)
3. Mint Car (The Cure)
4. The Field (Throwing Muses) (audio only)
5. Scenic Pastures (Archers of Loaf) (unofficial upload) (official audio)
6. Nice Guy Eddie (Sleeper)
7. Hail, Hail (Pearl Jam)
8. Prozac (Chainsuck) (audio only)
9. Know Your Chicken (Cibo Matto)
10. #1 Crush (Garbage)
11. Too Much (Dave Matthews Band)
12. Shameless (Ani DiFranco) (unofficial upload)
13. Custom Concern (Modest Mouse) (official audio)
14. Hey Jupiter (Tori Amos) (official audio)
15. Double Suicide (Mercy Killing) (Versus) (unofficial audio only)
16. キリン Kirin (Nokko) Japan
17. Real Love (The Beatles)
18. Lovefool (The Cardigans)
19. One Headlight (The Wallflowers)
1995:
1. 1979 (Smashing Pumpkins)
2. Wonder (Natalie Merchant)
3. King of the Kerb (Echobelly)
4. Inbetweener (Sleeper)
5. Meet Ze Monsta (PJ Harvey) (unofficial upload)
6. Waking Up (Elastica)
7. Harnessed in Slums (Archers of Loaf)
8. I'm Only Happy When It Rains (Garbage)
9. Big Me (Foo Fighters)
10. Just a Girl (No Doubt)
11. Shimmer (Throwing Muses) (unofficial upload)
12. Aeroplane (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
13. Wynona's Big Brown Beaver (Primus)
14. Today (Sing Like Talking) Japan
15. ロビンソン Robinson (Spitz) Japan
16. One Time (King Crimson) (official audio)
17. Broken Bones (Seam) (unofficial audio only)
18. My Iron Lung (Radiohead)
19. Untitled and Unsung (Belly) (official audio)
20. 32 Flavors (Ani DiFranco) (unofficial upload)
1994:
1. What's the Frequency, Kenneth? (R.E.M.)
2. God (Tori Amos)
3. The Lowest Part is Free/4. Freezing Point (official audio) (Archers of Loaf)
5. Blade of Grass (Versus) (unofficial upload)
6. Doll Parts (Hole)
7. About a Girl (live unplugged) (Nirvana)
8. Bull in the Heather (Sonic Youth)
9. Come Out and Play (Offspring)
10. Supernova (Liz Phair)
11. Give Her a Gun (Echobelly) (audio only)
12. Obsoléte (MC Solaar) France (unofficial upload)
13. Corduroy (Pearl Jam)
14. What Would You Say? (Dave Matthews Band)
15. Twiggy Twiggy (Twiggy vs. James Bond) (Pizzicato Five) Japan (unofficial upload)
16. Stay (Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories)
17. Least Complicated (Indigo Girls)
18. John, I Love You (Sinead O'Connor) (unofficial upload) (official audio)
19. Circle (Sarah McLachlan) (official audio)
20. Revival! (Me Phi Me)
21. Vivace (Remix) (Nokko) Japan
1990-1993
1997 (mix CD of every year of my life series):
1. Walkin' On the Sun (Smashmouth)
2. Song 2 (Blur)
3. Virtual Insanity (Jamiroquai)
4. I Am Einstein (The Pugs) Japan (audio only)
5. Twisted (Everyday Hurts) (Skunk Anansie)
6. Shake Hands With Beef (Primus) (unofficial upload?)
7. Neighborhood (Space)
8. Your Woman (White Town)
9. Fire Door (live) (Ani DiFranco) (audio only)
10. Everlong (Foo Fighters)
11. Heart Cooks Brain (Modest Mouse) (official audio)
12. I Would Hurt a Fly (Built to Spill) (official audio)
13. Ruin (Three Mile Pilot)
14. Adia (Sarah McLachlan)
15. やさしい気持ち (Yasashii Kimochi) (Chara) Japan
16. 愛 的初體驗 (Love's First Taste) (張震嶽) Taiwan
17. Cheapskate (Supergrass)
18. Things You Say (Sleater-Kinney) (official audio)
19. Drive Myself Distracted (Echobelly)
20. Exit Music (For a Film) (Radiohead) (official audio)
1996:
1. That's Just What You Are (Aimee Mann)
2. Trash (Suede)
3. Mint Car (The Cure)
4. The Field (Throwing Muses) (audio only)
5. Scenic Pastures (Archers of Loaf) (unofficial upload) (official audio)
6. Nice Guy Eddie (Sleeper)
7. Hail, Hail (Pearl Jam)
8. Prozac (Chainsuck) (audio only)
9. Know Your Chicken (Cibo Matto)
10. #1 Crush (Garbage)
11. Too Much (Dave Matthews Band)
12. Shameless (Ani DiFranco) (unofficial upload)
13. Custom Concern (Modest Mouse) (official audio)
14. Hey Jupiter (Tori Amos) (official audio)
15. Double Suicide (Mercy Killing) (Versus) (unofficial audio only)
16. キリン Kirin (Nokko) Japan
17. Real Love (The Beatles)
18. Lovefool (The Cardigans)
19. One Headlight (The Wallflowers)
1995:
1. 1979 (Smashing Pumpkins)
2. Wonder (Natalie Merchant)
3. King of the Kerb (Echobelly)
4. Inbetweener (Sleeper)
5. Meet Ze Monsta (PJ Harvey) (unofficial upload)
6. Waking Up (Elastica)
7. Harnessed in Slums (Archers of Loaf)
8. I'm Only Happy When It Rains (Garbage)
9. Big Me (Foo Fighters)
10. Just a Girl (No Doubt)
11. Shimmer (Throwing Muses) (unofficial upload)
12. Aeroplane (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
13. Wynona's Big Brown Beaver (Primus)
14. Today (Sing Like Talking) Japan
15. ロビンソン Robinson (Spitz) Japan
16. One Time (King Crimson) (official audio)
17. Broken Bones (Seam) (unofficial audio only)
18. My Iron Lung (Radiohead)
19. Untitled and Unsung (Belly) (official audio)
20. 32 Flavors (Ani DiFranco) (unofficial upload)
1994:
1. What's the Frequency, Kenneth? (R.E.M.)
2. God (Tori Amos)
3. The Lowest Part is Free/4. Freezing Point (official audio) (Archers of Loaf)
5. Blade of Grass (Versus) (unofficial upload)
6. Doll Parts (Hole)
7. About a Girl (live unplugged) (Nirvana)
8. Bull in the Heather (Sonic Youth)
9. Come Out and Play (Offspring)
10. Supernova (Liz Phair)
11. Give Her a Gun (Echobelly) (audio only)
12. Obsoléte (MC Solaar) France (unofficial upload)
13. Corduroy (Pearl Jam)
14. What Would You Say? (Dave Matthews Band)
15. Twiggy Twiggy (Twiggy vs. James Bond) (Pizzicato Five) Japan (unofficial upload)
16. Stay (Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories)
17. Least Complicated (Indigo Girls)
18. John, I Love You (Sinead O'Connor) (unofficial upload) (official audio)
19. Circle (Sarah McLachlan) (official audio)
20. Revival! (Me Phi Me)
21. Vivace (Remix) (Nokko) Japan
1990-1993
Monday, March 22, 2010
Bodyguards and Assassins 十月園城 (China, 2009)
This fictional film from China uses a historical figure as the catalyst for its plot. Sun Yat-sen is credited as the founder of modern China by being instrumental in overthrowing the final Chinese dynasty – the corrupt and ineffective (in withstanding Western pressure and incursion) Qing Dynasty. As such, Dr. Sun Yat-sen is paradoxically the only figure revered or respected in modern times on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
In this film, Dr. Sun Yat-sen is set to visit Hong Kong in 1905 and hold a (fictional) historic secret meeting that would set the wheels of revolution into motion. The Qing court would like nothing more than to have Sun's head on a platter, so they send assassins to take him out. In Hong Kong, Dr. Sun's supporters rally to protect him during his visit.
Of course, there is no question of the outcome – Dr. Sun obviously survives – so there's no tension there. The English title, therefore, is very accurate in indicating this movie is about the assassins out to kill him and the bodyguards determined to protect him.
I think this was a Chinese equivalent of a big Hollywood blockbuster, and, unfortunately, delivers about as little as a big Hollywood blockbuster. It's an OK ride, but has too many faults and annoyances for me to give it a fresh rating.
It starts off fine for the first half of the film, basically being a drama, introducing and developing characters and setting up the plot. But I think the film falls apart in the second half when it becomes an action film and stops making sense. It seems straight-forward – Sun arrives, assassins try to kill him, supporters protect him – but it left me wondering, "why is it happening like this?". Why would it happen like that?
Why is there a legion of assassins? Why is it an outright assault? Who did they think they'd be up against? Why is Dr. Sun being treated like a rock star, when he's just an exiled propagandist at the time? Why is he setting himself up for assassination? If you know the Qing is sending its top assassins, then change your plans! How did all the governors of China's provinces get to Hong Kong without raising eyebrows, and why are they bathed in heavenly light at the meeting?
The film is about the characters – the little people who sacrificed for the future of the nation – but the film is annoyingly heavy-handed in hammering this aspect home (and kinda made me dislike Sun Yat-sen and his self-importance in the end, not to mention the movie's own sense of self-importance).
The Donnie Yen and Leon Lai characters are annoyingly uneven. Donnie Yen plays a gambling addict and an unscrupulous policeman and Leon Lai plays an opium addict beggar who used to hold some position of respect. No doubt they are supposed to represent what China has become as a result of the British influence and Chinese court failures.
But then Donnie Yen becomes a martial arts hero when the fight gets going, and Leon Lai recovers from his opium addiction in a day, and after a bath and a shave, he too becomes a super martial arts master extraordinaire.
Donnie Yen's big fight scene was inappropriately comical – I still can't figure out if it was supposed to be or not – with him fighting an assassin who is apparently half Tasmanian Devil. It was even more comical for me because he resembled Thich Nhat Hanh, a man of peace. So this is what he might look like if he was a snarling, psychotic force of all-destruction.
The acting is quite good all around, the production and look of the film is also pretty good, and I don't regret seeing it, it wasn't a bad film. I just don't recommend it and would be no less rich if I hadn't seen it. Rotten 5 out of 10 tomatoes.
I also caught "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and "The Shinjuku Incident" on cable.
I loved The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and if I stopped short of giving it a 10 out of 10 tomatoes, it's a very solid 9. Apparently, though, it's not for everybody as my brother reports that he hated it and was a waste of his time. The premise does require imagination, although I'm not saying that's why my brother didn't like it.
It's a somber and beautiful film, but not oppressively serious. It isn't self-congratulatory in its profundity – it's just a film with an interesting thought experiment of what might it be like to be born old and age backwards into infancy, and I think it does that very well.
I would have preferred a little more playfulness of a child's mind when the body is old, and more worldly wisdom of a life that's been lived when his body is getting younger, and that may be what knocks this film down to 9 out of 10 tomatoes. Still excellent. Highly recommended for anyone curious.
The Shinjuku Incident (it just occurs to me now how the CG shot in the trailer where the ship is sinking off the beach looks so fake) is Jackie Chan's foray into drama. No doubt, he is a great actor and entertainer, but do we run out to the theaters to see a Jackie Chan drama? And he does a good job, and maybe it's our fault because of our perception of him, but I felt a teeny-tiny bit let down when he would get in a scuffle and get beat down instead of opening a can of whoop-ass.
That said, this is a gritty, modern-day yakuza film about Chinese illegal immigrants in Japan who have to team up in the underworld to survive. It's a well-paced and credible film, for most part, depicting the hardships of illegal immigration and the pull towards organized crime and power, and how the best people can become the worst under certain conditions. There may be hints of glorifying the yakuza life, but I think ultimately it properly puts it in a bad light.
It was on cable with commercials and no doubt had scenes cut, so I'm sure I didn't pay full attention to it and probably should see it again, but I give it a tentative fresh 7 out of 10 tomatoes.
Friday, March 19, 2010
This series of CD mixes I'm making of my personal favorite releases of every year I've been alive has become more than a vanity project for me . . . well, no, it hasn't, it just has more levels of vanity than I thought it would. It's kind of like a musical life diary.
Diaries: something no one else but the writer is interested in except for, perhaps, intrusive mothers who don't understand boundaries and don't have the parenting skills to delve into their children's lives otherwise.
No one knows or cares about these mixes or the songs or what they may mean to me, no one's going to listen to them I shouldn't wonder, but personally they take me back to specific eras and conditions and environments. Curiously, even if I didn't get into the song or band until years later, just the awareness of a song I eventually liked years later still has a connection to that year. They occupy an outer periphery of what else was going on in that year for me.
Making these mixes are the years going by; re-living them in a way. Ani DiFranco put it well when she said recordings are records of events. Reviewing my life through what songs were released in each given year makes them a sort of record of my life. As I relive my life in what I play you.
Also interesting is how the songs, and sometimes how I've ordered them, can reflect the tenor of the year – mellow, optimistic, confused, introspective, etc. I always pay attention to the song order when I make a mix tape. Segues are important, as well as having some sort of emotional arc which can lead to an overall feel for a year, in these cases.
And finally, just something I notice as long as I'm geeking out, these mixes track the expansion of women in rock music in my consciousness through the years. Some women appear early on, but mostly in folk, and then through much of the 70's, the mixes are all male. Then women start appearing in the late 70's, but up until 1984 there are years with no women leads. Starting from 1985, women have a solid foothold and by the mid-90's they start occupying nearly half of the mixes.
And now the same is happening with Asian versus Western releases. Japanese songs start appearing early on, and they become regular after Shiho and Hiromi and the months I spent in Japan after college, and I think by the late 00's, these CDs consist of mostly Korean, Japanese and Taiwanese releases.
Diaries: something no one else but the writer is interested in except for, perhaps, intrusive mothers who don't understand boundaries and don't have the parenting skills to delve into their children's lives otherwise.
No one knows or cares about these mixes or the songs or what they may mean to me, no one's going to listen to them I shouldn't wonder, but personally they take me back to specific eras and conditions and environments. Curiously, even if I didn't get into the song or band until years later, just the awareness of a song I eventually liked years later still has a connection to that year. They occupy an outer periphery of what else was going on in that year for me.
Making these mixes are the years going by; re-living them in a way. Ani DiFranco put it well when she said recordings are records of events. Reviewing my life through what songs were released in each given year makes them a sort of record of my life. As I relive my life in what I play you.
Also interesting is how the songs, and sometimes how I've ordered them, can reflect the tenor of the year – mellow, optimistic, confused, introspective, etc. I always pay attention to the song order when I make a mix tape. Segues are important, as well as having some sort of emotional arc which can lead to an overall feel for a year, in these cases.
And finally, just something I notice as long as I'm geeking out, these mixes track the expansion of women in rock music in my consciousness through the years. Some women appear early on, but mostly in folk, and then through much of the 70's, the mixes are all male. Then women start appearing in the late 70's, but up until 1984 there are years with no women leads. Starting from 1985, women have a solid foothold and by the mid-90's they start occupying nearly half of the mixes.
And now the same is happening with Asian versus Western releases. Japanese songs start appearing early on, and they become regular after Shiho and Hiromi and the months I spent in Japan after college, and I think by the late 00's, these CDs consist of mostly Korean, Japanese and Taiwanese releases.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
1993 (mix CD of every year of my life series):
1. Cantaloupe (Flip Fantasia) (Us3)
2. Go For It! (Dreams Come True) Japan
3. Human Behaviour (Björk)
4. Feed the Tree (Belly)
5. Divorce Song (Liz Phair) (official audio)
6. Noogie (Versus) (unofficial audio only)
7. Divine Hammer (The Breeders)
8. すばらしい日々 Subarashii Hibi (Unicorn) Japan
9. Bunch (Seam)
10. Mayonaise (Smashing Pumpkins) (unofficial upload) (official audio)
11. Positive Bleeding (Urge Overkill)
12. Melody Melody (Princess Princess) Japan
13. Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town (Pearl Jam) (official audio)
14. My Name is Mud (Primus)
15. Sucka Nigga (A Tribe Called Quest) (official audio)
16. Oh Yeah (Nokko) Japan
17. Because the Night (live unplugged) (10,000 Maniacs) (audio only)
18. Stay (Faraway, So Close) (U2) (official audio)
19. All Apologies (Nirvana)
1992:
1. The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead (XTC) (unofficial upload)
2. レモン Lemon (Nokko) Japan (unofficial upload)
3. Hitam Manis (Campur DKI) Indonesia
4. When You Sleep (My Bloody Valentine)
5. Eden (10,000 Maniacs) (audio only)
6. 涙のキッス Namida no Kiss (Southern All-Stars) Japan (official audio)
7. Ghost (Indigo Girls) (official audio)
8. <プラトニック> Dance (Platonic Dance) (Anzen Chitai) Japan
9. Digging in the Dirt (Peter Gabriel)
10. 決戦は金曜日 Kessen wa Kinyoubi (Dreams Come True) Japan
11. Man on the Moon (R.E.M.)
12. State of Love and Trust (Pearl Jam)
13. なし Nashi (The Boom) Japan (unofficial upload)
14. What's Up? (4 Non Blondes)
15. Carnival Wig (Throwing Muses) (audio only)
16. Aneurysm (Nirvana)
17. 愛 Know マジック (Kome Kome Club) Japan
1991:
1. Zoo Station (U2) (official audio)
2. Rush (Big Audio Dynamite II)
3. I Am One (Smashing Pumpkins)
4. Lithium (Nirvana)
5. The Choice is Yours (Revisited) (Black Sheep)
6. Shonen Knife (Shonen Knife) Japan
7. 薬指の決心 Kusuriyubi no Kesshin (Dreams Come True) Japan
8. Way of the World (Genesis) (official audio)
9. Enter Sandman (Metallica)
10. Tommy the Cat (Primus)
11. Summer Madness (Princess Princess) Japan
12. Blood Sugar Sex Magik (Red Hot Chili Peppers) (official audio)
13. Show Business (A Tribe Called Quest) (official audio)
14. Beautiful People (Bubble Gum Brothers) Japan (unofficial upload)
15. Not Too Soon (Throwing Muses)
16. 言い出せなかった秘密 Ii Dasenakatta Himitsu (Rankin' Taxi) Japan
17. I'm Going Slightly Mad (Queen)
18. Life By the Drop (Stevie Ray Vaughan) (official audio)
1990:
1. Birdhouse in Your Soul (They Might Be Giants)
2. Mama Help Me (Edie Brickell & New Bohemians)
3. Oh Yeah! (Princess Princess) Japan (unofficial upload) (official video)
4. Shaking the Tree (Peter Gabriel & Youssou N'Dour)
5. Thunderstruck (AC/DC)
6. Too Many Puppies (Primus) (unofficial upload) (official audio)
7. Fight the Power (Public Enemy)
8. Doe (The Breeders)
9. 真夏の果実 Manatsu no Kajitsu (Southern All-Stars) Japan (official audio)
10. Big Wedge (Fish) (unofficial upload) (official audio)
11. Been Caught Stealing (Jane's Addiction)
12. Everyday is Like Sunday (Morrissey)
13. Hard to Be (The Vaughan Brothers) (audio only)
14. Nothing Without You (Tery Bina) (Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan) Pakistan (official audio)
15. 今夜星光爛漫 (Sekiri) Japan
16. Jump in the River (Sinead O'Connor)
17. For the Love of God (Steve Vai)
18. Won't Be Long (Bubble Gum Brothers) Japan (unofficial upload)
1986-1989
1. Cantaloupe (Flip Fantasia) (Us3)
2. Go For It! (Dreams Come True) Japan
3. Human Behaviour (Björk)
4. Feed the Tree (Belly)
5. Divorce Song (Liz Phair) (official audio)
6. Noogie (Versus) (unofficial audio only)
7. Divine Hammer (The Breeders)
8. すばらしい日々 Subarashii Hibi (Unicorn) Japan
9. Bunch (Seam)
10. Mayonaise (Smashing Pumpkins) (unofficial upload) (official audio)
11. Positive Bleeding (Urge Overkill)
12. Melody Melody (Princess Princess) Japan
13. Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town (Pearl Jam) (official audio)
14. My Name is Mud (Primus)
15. Sucka Nigga (A Tribe Called Quest) (official audio)
16. Oh Yeah (Nokko) Japan
17. Because the Night (live unplugged) (10,000 Maniacs) (audio only)
18. Stay (Faraway, So Close) (U2) (official audio)
19. All Apologies (Nirvana)
1992:
1. The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead (XTC) (unofficial upload)
2. レモン Lemon (Nokko) Japan (unofficial upload)
3. Hitam Manis (Campur DKI) Indonesia
4. When You Sleep (My Bloody Valentine)
5. Eden (10,000 Maniacs) (audio only)
6. 涙のキッス Namida no Kiss (Southern All-Stars) Japan (official audio)
7. Ghost (Indigo Girls) (official audio)
8. <プラトニック> Dance (Platonic Dance) (Anzen Chitai) Japan
9. Digging in the Dirt (Peter Gabriel)
10. 決戦は金曜日 Kessen wa Kinyoubi (Dreams Come True) Japan
11. Man on the Moon (R.E.M.)
12. State of Love and Trust (Pearl Jam)
13. なし Nashi (The Boom) Japan (unofficial upload)
14. What's Up? (4 Non Blondes)
15. Carnival Wig (Throwing Muses) (audio only)
16. Aneurysm (Nirvana)
17. 愛 Know マジック (Kome Kome Club) Japan
1991:
1. Zoo Station (U2) (official audio)
2. Rush (Big Audio Dynamite II)
3. I Am One (Smashing Pumpkins)
4. Lithium (Nirvana)
5. The Choice is Yours (Revisited) (Black Sheep)
6. Shonen Knife (Shonen Knife) Japan
7. 薬指の決心 Kusuriyubi no Kesshin (Dreams Come True) Japan
8. Way of the World (Genesis) (official audio)
9. Enter Sandman (Metallica)
10. Tommy the Cat (Primus)
11. Summer Madness (Princess Princess) Japan
12. Blood Sugar Sex Magik (Red Hot Chili Peppers) (official audio)
13. Show Business (A Tribe Called Quest) (official audio)
14. Beautiful People (Bubble Gum Brothers) Japan (unofficial upload)
15. Not Too Soon (Throwing Muses)
16. 言い出せなかった秘密 Ii Dasenakatta Himitsu (Rankin' Taxi) Japan
17. I'm Going Slightly Mad (Queen)
18. Life By the Drop (Stevie Ray Vaughan) (official audio)
1990:
1. Birdhouse in Your Soul (They Might Be Giants)
2. Mama Help Me (Edie Brickell & New Bohemians)
3. Oh Yeah! (Princess Princess) Japan (unofficial upload) (official video)
4. Shaking the Tree (Peter Gabriel & Youssou N'Dour)
5. Thunderstruck (AC/DC)
6. Too Many Puppies (Primus) (unofficial upload) (official audio)
7. Fight the Power (Public Enemy)
8. Doe (The Breeders)
9. 真夏の果実 Manatsu no Kajitsu (Southern All-Stars) Japan (official audio)
10. Big Wedge (Fish) (unofficial upload) (official audio)
11. Been Caught Stealing (Jane's Addiction)
12. Everyday is Like Sunday (Morrissey)
13. Hard to Be (The Vaughan Brothers) (audio only)
14. Nothing Without You (Tery Bina) (Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan) Pakistan (official audio)
15. 今夜星光爛漫 (Sekiri) Japan
16. Jump in the River (Sinead O'Connor)
17. For the Love of God (Steve Vai)
18. Won't Be Long (Bubble Gum Brothers) Japan (unofficial upload)
1986-1989
Monday, March 15, 2010
I had an unexpected meet up with my cousin yesterday. She really needs to learn to plan things in advance. She and her husband were coming up to Taipei for a wedding and they decided to take along their 5-year-old daughter, Gracie, who happens to be my favorite niece since I met her when she was 8 months old.
They were already on the high speed rail when she called me and told me all of her aunts and uncles and cousins were unavailable and could I look after Gracie for several hours. I gladly accepted, being flattered that after all those people, the first person she thought of was me! But it worked out because I was already out shooting, and therefore not drunk, and the time frame she gave me was acceptable.
I'm not good with kids, I don't really like kids, but I love Gracie. I probably would have declined if it was Pie, and my cousin hopefully would know better than to even ask me to take care of Pie for several hours. Don't get me wrong, I love Pie, too, but I consider her high maintenance (what most people might call "normal", I shouldn't wonder). Gracie is distinctly low maintenance. She's a beagle.
And I had a lot of fun with her. We spent the whole evening in their hotel room, and I basically let her do what she wanted, didn't force her to do anything she didn't want to do. I didn't force her to go to the night market down the street and we watched cartoons and I gave her control of the remote.
And most importantly, she entertained me. I hate taking care of kids when it's a task or an ordeal, but if they're providing the entertainment, count me in. And she's so funny and cute and free-spirited, she fit the bill.
She did this thing when she would start screaming or shrieking annoyingly, but then she'd suddenly stop and put her finger in front of her mouth and go, "shh...shh...shh". And then she'd crack up laughing. I imagine this was something she put together in her head from maybe shrieking at school and then the adults would quiet her down, going "shhhhh". Gracie put it together into a little act and was so pleased at it she would end up cracking herself up over it. Maybe it's just me, but I thought it was hilarious every time she did it.
And I let her do things her parents might not have been pleased about. She would stand precariously on the railing of the crib the hotel provided (it was against a wall she could lean on) and sing a version of "Santa Clause is Coming to Town" while doing a cute little dance which always ended with her launching herself onto the bed.
I did notice the last time I went to New Jersey, I had little connection with my brothers' children and didn't make any effort to spend time with them. They aren't the entertaining type, they're more of a task, requiring attention. But I did think afterwards I should have extended myself more to help take care of them or make a connection. Well, I had my reasons as to why not.
Maybe I'll make it to another visit to New Jersey when it's warmer. I hope there isn't another visit in the cards, but I know myself better than that and can't discount it. But the topic never goes away.
They were already on the high speed rail when she called me and told me all of her aunts and uncles and cousins were unavailable and could I look after Gracie for several hours. I gladly accepted, being flattered that after all those people, the first person she thought of was me! But it worked out because I was already out shooting, and therefore not drunk, and the time frame she gave me was acceptable.
I'm not good with kids, I don't really like kids, but I love Gracie. I probably would have declined if it was Pie, and my cousin hopefully would know better than to even ask me to take care of Pie for several hours. Don't get me wrong, I love Pie, too, but I consider her high maintenance (what most people might call "normal", I shouldn't wonder). Gracie is distinctly low maintenance. She's a beagle.
And I had a lot of fun with her. We spent the whole evening in their hotel room, and I basically let her do what she wanted, didn't force her to do anything she didn't want to do. I didn't force her to go to the night market down the street and we watched cartoons and I gave her control of the remote.
And most importantly, she entertained me. I hate taking care of kids when it's a task or an ordeal, but if they're providing the entertainment, count me in. And she's so funny and cute and free-spirited, she fit the bill.
She did this thing when she would start screaming or shrieking annoyingly, but then she'd suddenly stop and put her finger in front of her mouth and go, "shh...shh...shh". And then she'd crack up laughing. I imagine this was something she put together in her head from maybe shrieking at school and then the adults would quiet her down, going "shhhhh". Gracie put it together into a little act and was so pleased at it she would end up cracking herself up over it. Maybe it's just me, but I thought it was hilarious every time she did it.
And I let her do things her parents might not have been pleased about. She would stand precariously on the railing of the crib the hotel provided (it was against a wall she could lean on) and sing a version of "Santa Clause is Coming to Town" while doing a cute little dance which always ended with her launching herself onto the bed.
I did notice the last time I went to New Jersey, I had little connection with my brothers' children and didn't make any effort to spend time with them. They aren't the entertaining type, they're more of a task, requiring attention. But I did think afterwards I should have extended myself more to help take care of them or make a connection. Well, I had my reasons as to why not.
Maybe I'll make it to another visit to New Jersey when it's warmer. I hope there isn't another visit in the cards, but I know myself better than that and can't discount it. But the topic never goes away.
FRIDAY, MARCH 12 - Ride up through Fudekeng cemetery. Rainbow V 22mm lens toy camera, Ilford XP2 Super. |
5:13-5:14 p.m. |
5:26-5:28 p.m - Coming down the south side of the mountain and going home along the riverside bikeways. I'd be getting home well after dark. |
SUNDAY, MARCH 14 - Out for a photostroll, during which my cousin would call and ask me to take care of Gracie. Nikon N70, Ilford XP2 Super. |
Bade 八德 Road parallel to Raohe night market. |
Rainbow Bridge |
MARCH 15 - The new bus terminal across Civic Blvd. from Taipei Main Station (at the left) and Qsquare mall and movie theater. |
Labels:
Audrey,
cycling running,
family,
photography,
Taipei daily life
1989 (mix CD of every year of my life series):
1. Monkey Gone to Heaven (The Pixies)
2. Mexican Seafood (Nirvana) (official audio)
3. The Mayor of Simpleton (XTC) (what makes this song great)
4. Roam (B-52's)
5. Diamonds <ダイアモンド> (Princess Princess) Japan
6. Lie Still, Little Bottle (They Might Be Giants) (unofficial upload) (official audio)
7. John the Fisherman (Primus) (unofficial upload) (official audio)
8. Higher Ground (Red Hot Chili Peppers) (unofficial upload) (official audio)
9. Shake Your Rump (The Beastie Boys)
10. Asadoyayunta (Ryuichi Sakamoto) Japan (unofficial upload)
11. Be Kind to My Mistakes (Kate Bush)
12. Love's Recovery (Indigo Girls) (official audio)
13. I Want It All (Queen)
14. Janie's Got a Gun (Aerosmith)
15. Crossfire (Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble)
16. Rooms On Fire (Stevie Nicks)
17. My Finest Hour (The Sundays) (audio only)
18. Mania (Throwing Muses) (unofficial upload)
19. Kimi no Koto Bakari (Gyoza Daioh) Japan
20. Negative Creep (Nirvana)
21. The Blue Bus Blues (Bakufu Slump) Japan (unofficial upload)
I think I'm gonna go on record and state 1989 is among my less 'successful' mixes. I'll attribute it to the times (including possibly the adjacent mixes). These were my college years which were expanding my horizons, but since a lot of these songs I didn't get into at the time, I think changes and crossroads in the music scene, or various music scenes, are also reflected. The collection is just a smorgasbord of conflicting tastes and disjunct segues. It doesn't necessarily work, but as a reflection of the times it's probably perfect. NB: less successful ≠ I don't like it.
1988:
1. What I Am (Edie Brickell & New Bohemians)
2. Peek-A-Boo (Siouxsie & the Banshees)
3. Turn the Page (live) (Rush) (unofficial upload) (official audio)
4. みん なのうた Minna no Uta (Southern All-Stars) Japan (official audio)
5. Bonin' in the Boneyard (Fishbone)
6. Angel of Harlem (U2)
7. Junkie (Steve Vai) (official audio)
8. Strange Weather (live) (Tom Waits) (unofficial upload)
9. Brenda, Brenda ("Bagdad Cafe")
10. On Children (Sweet Honey in the Rock) (audio only)
11. M (Princess Princess) Japan
12. Juno (Throwing Muses) (unofficial upload)
13. Jane Says (Jane's Addiction) (unofficial upload)
14. Where is My Mind? (The Pixies) (unofficial upload) (official audio)
15. 僕 の右手 Boku no Migite (The Blue Hearts) Japan (unofficial upload)
16. Handle With Care (The Traveling Wilburys)
17. Teenage Riot (Sonic Youth)
18. Don't Believe the Hype (Public Enemy)
When I was in college at Oberlin, I was playing the Edie Brickell & New Bohemians CD in my dorm room with my door open and a woman knocked on the door and then just stared at me looking puzzled, obviously listening to the music. Turns out she was from Dallas and knew the band from the local scene and hadn't known they'd made their major label debut. She let me copy a cassette she had of a demo that they sold at shows which had a lot of the songs on the CD.
1. Monkey Gone to Heaven (The Pixies)
2. Mexican Seafood (Nirvana) (official audio)
3. The Mayor of Simpleton (XTC) (what makes this song great)
4. Roam (B-52's)
5. Diamonds <ダイアモンド> (Princess Princess) Japan
6. Lie Still, Little Bottle (They Might Be Giants) (unofficial upload) (official audio)
7. John the Fisherman (Primus) (unofficial upload) (official audio)
8. Higher Ground (Red Hot Chili Peppers) (unofficial upload) (official audio)
9. Shake Your Rump (The Beastie Boys)
10. Asadoyayunta (Ryuichi Sakamoto) Japan (unofficial upload)
11. Be Kind to My Mistakes (Kate Bush)
12. Love's Recovery (Indigo Girls) (official audio)
13. I Want It All (Queen)
14. Janie's Got a Gun (Aerosmith)
15. Crossfire (Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble)
16. Rooms On Fire (Stevie Nicks)
17. My Finest Hour (The Sundays) (audio only)
18. Mania (Throwing Muses) (unofficial upload)
19. Kimi no Koto Bakari (Gyoza Daioh) Japan
20. Negative Creep (Nirvana)
21. The Blue Bus Blues (Bakufu Slump) Japan (unofficial upload)
I think I'm gonna go on record and state 1989 is among my less 'successful' mixes. I'll attribute it to the times (including possibly the adjacent mixes). These were my college years which were expanding my horizons, but since a lot of these songs I didn't get into at the time, I think changes and crossroads in the music scene, or various music scenes, are also reflected. The collection is just a smorgasbord of conflicting tastes and disjunct segues. It doesn't necessarily work, but as a reflection of the times it's probably perfect. NB: less successful ≠ I don't like it.
1988:
1. What I Am (Edie Brickell & New Bohemians)
2. Peek-A-Boo (Siouxsie & the Banshees)
3. Turn the Page (live) (Rush) (unofficial upload) (official audio)
4. みん なのうた Minna no Uta (Southern All-Stars) Japan (official audio)
5. Bonin' in the Boneyard (Fishbone)
6. Angel of Harlem (U2)
7. Junkie (Steve Vai) (official audio)
8. Strange Weather (live) (Tom Waits) (unofficial upload)
9. Brenda, Brenda ("Bagdad Cafe")
10. On Children (Sweet Honey in the Rock) (audio only)
11. M (Princess Princess) Japan
12. Juno (Throwing Muses) (unofficial upload)
13. Jane Says (Jane's Addiction) (unofficial upload)
14. Where is My Mind? (The Pixies) (unofficial upload) (official audio)
15. 僕 の右手 Boku no Migite (The Blue Hearts) Japan (unofficial upload)
16. Handle With Care (The Traveling Wilburys)
17. Teenage Riot (Sonic Youth)
18. Don't Believe the Hype (Public Enemy)
When I was in college at Oberlin, I was playing the Edie Brickell & New Bohemians CD in my dorm room with my door open and a woman knocked on the door and then just stared at me looking puzzled, obviously listening to the music. Turns out she was from Dallas and knew the band from the local scene and hadn't known they'd made their major label debut. She let me copy a cassette she had of a demo that they sold at shows which had a lot of the songs on the CD.
The Steve Vai song is an anachronism that I'm allowing under the circumstances. Times were changing in the mid-80s and Steve Vai's career was also in flux as he finished his stint with Frank Zappa and released his debut album in 1984 on cassette on a tiny label, but it went no where. CDs very quickly and suddenly burst in popularity as the consumer choice for audio recordings. In 1988, Vai's debut album was re-released on a different label and on CD and who knows when or if I'd come across the album if that hadn't happened. The CD had a 1988 copyright and that's why I always thought it was released that year.
And it was totally weird how the CD got to me. I was hanging out with Amina in her room (same dorm as mentioned above (Third World House), but I think at least a year later) and I dug the plain CD, no packaging, out of a crack in the wall panel where someone had jammed it. She had no idea who it was or how it got there. I recognized Steve Vai's name but knew next to nothing about him and she said I could have it. I ended up quite liking the CD (much of it being quite strange) and at one point played "Junkie" for Amina and she was like, "this is so painful!", laughing uncomfortably because it was such over-the-top, heart-on-sleeve heroin withdrawal despair. I'm chewing on glass but I don't even bleed.
1987:
1. Moon (Rebecca) Japan (unofficial upload)
2. I've Got My Mind Set On You (George Harrison)
3. Never Let Me Down Again (Depeche Mode)
4. Shogunade (Ryuichi Sakamoto) Japan (unofficial upload)
5. Miuzi Weighs a Ton (Public Enemy) (official audio)
6. Time Stand Still (Rush)
7. Who Needs Information? (Roger Waters) (official audio)
8. Tux On (Marillion) (official audio)
9. Drink Before the War (Sinead O'Connor) (official audio)
10. Telephone Call from Istanbul (Tom Waits) (unofficial upload)
11. Tom's Diner (Suzanne Vega) (unofficial upload)
12. The Funky Avocado (live) (Michael Hedges) (unofficial fancam upload)
13. In God's Country (U2)
14. The Painted Desert (10,000 Maniacs) (audio only)
15. 世界でいちばん熱い夏 Sekai de Ichiban Atsui Natsu ('92 mix) (Princess Princess) Japan (unofficial upload) (official video)
16. Here On Earth (Love and Rockets)
17. Beds Are Burning (Midnight Oil)
18. It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) (R.E.M.)
19. 終わらない歌 Owaranai Uta (The Blue Hearts) Japan (unofficial upload)
1986:
1. Kiss (Prince)
2. Walk Like an Egyptian (The Bangles)
3. Willie the Wimp (live) (Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble) (unofficial upload)
4. Wild Wild Life (Talking Heads)
5. Who Made Who (AC/DC)
6. V Thirteen (Big Audio Dynamite)
7. A Kind of Magic (Queen)
8. You Can Call Me Al (Paul Simon)
9. Sledgehammer (Peter Gabriel)
10. 大 きな玉ねぎの下で Under the Big Onion (Budokan) (Bakufu Slump) Japan (unofficial upload)
11. Fall On Me (R.E.M.)
12. Blue Chair (Elvis Costello & the Attractions) (official audio)
13. She's An Angel (They Might Be Giants) (official audio)
14. There is a Light That Never Goes Out (The Smiths) (official audio)
15. Left of Center (Suzanne Vega)
16. Don't Get Me Wrong (The Pretenders)
17. Green (Throwing Muses) (audio only)
18. Another Day (live) (Sting) (official audio)
19. Dear God (XTC)
20. The Brazilian (Genesis) (unofficial upload) (computer re-creation of the lightshow, pretty much how it looked)
1982-1985
1. Moon (Rebecca) Japan (unofficial upload)
2. I've Got My Mind Set On You (George Harrison)
3. Never Let Me Down Again (Depeche Mode)
4. Shogunade (Ryuichi Sakamoto) Japan (unofficial upload)
5. Miuzi Weighs a Ton (Public Enemy) (official audio)
6. Time Stand Still (Rush)
7. Who Needs Information? (Roger Waters) (official audio)
8. Tux On (Marillion) (official audio)
9. Drink Before the War (Sinead O'Connor) (official audio)
10. Telephone Call from Istanbul (Tom Waits) (unofficial upload)
11. Tom's Diner (Suzanne Vega) (unofficial upload)
12. The Funky Avocado (live) (Michael Hedges) (unofficial fancam upload)
13. In God's Country (U2)
14. The Painted Desert (10,000 Maniacs) (audio only)
15. 世界でいちばん熱い夏 Sekai de Ichiban Atsui Natsu ('92 mix) (Princess Princess) Japan (unofficial upload) (official video)
16. Here On Earth (Love and Rockets)
17. Beds Are Burning (Midnight Oil)
18. It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) (R.E.M.)
19. 終わらない歌 Owaranai Uta (The Blue Hearts) Japan (unofficial upload)
1986:
1. Kiss (Prince)
2. Walk Like an Egyptian (The Bangles)
3. Willie the Wimp (live) (Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble) (unofficial upload)
4. Wild Wild Life (Talking Heads)
5. Who Made Who (AC/DC)
6. V Thirteen (Big Audio Dynamite)
7. A Kind of Magic (Queen)
8. You Can Call Me Al (Paul Simon)
9. Sledgehammer (Peter Gabriel)
10. 大 きな玉ねぎの下で Under the Big Onion (Budokan) (Bakufu Slump) Japan (unofficial upload)
11. Fall On Me (R.E.M.)
12. Blue Chair (Elvis Costello & the Attractions) (official audio)
13. She's An Angel (They Might Be Giants) (official audio)
14. There is a Light That Never Goes Out (The Smiths) (official audio)
15. Left of Center (Suzanne Vega)
16. Don't Get Me Wrong (The Pretenders)
17. Green (Throwing Muses) (audio only)
18. Another Day (live) (Sting) (official audio)
19. Dear God (XTC)
20. The Brazilian (Genesis) (unofficial upload) (computer re-creation of the lightshow, pretty much how it looked)
1982-1985
WordsCharactersReading time
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Ichi (Japan, 2008)
This is a samurai film with a twist. The title character, Ichi, is a blind woman, who, although not trained in any typical samurai tradition, has mastered the "single, backhand slash" to highly effective use. Reserved and aloof, her philosophy is to stay out of everyone else's business because, being blind, she "can't see borders".
She meets up with another samurai – sort of a ronin, but he doesn't fall under the typical description of "masterless swordsman" – whose buffoonish introduction to her belies his confidence in his own swordsmanship.
The two end up in a town, run and protected by a yakuza family, that is being squeezed by a gang of bandits and they get entwined in the conflict. Through their interactions, we get to know more about their backgrounds and mysteries – the contradiction of his failure to fight, but pride in his ability to fight; and Ichi herself is a mystery, both impenetrable and vulnerable, that unfolds.
I wouldn't dare compare this film to the older classics, but I found this to be an excellent modern-day made samurai film that both respectfully stands on the shoulders of the genre while still offering something fresh, and not just the blind swordswoman aspect – blind has been done, swordswoman has probably been done – but also in terms of plot and themes. It's a very well put together film with a well-developed narrative and excellently acted all around.
8 out of 10 tomatoes and highly recommended for fans of samurai and medieval Japan films.
No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti 不能沒有妳 (Taiwan, 2009)
Supposedly based on a true story – and having lived in Taiwan for these past years, I believe it – this film is about a working-but-impoverished father and school-age daughter who are pushed to the brink by the profound stupidity that is bureaucracy of the Taiwanese government.
What he wants is stated very plainly. He just wants his "daughter to go to school" after being told by a policeman that she should be in school. His ordeal starts with innocent advice from a buddy on where to get help, and upon taking the advice gets shuffled through all levels of the system of people who promise to "take care of it", until it falls into the lowest hands of people who can't do anything because they have to follow regulations.
It's a frustrating and heartbreaking film that makes you want to punch the government in the nose.
I do think one of the underlying issues the film deals with is how Taiwan is dealing with its modernization and how it clashes with traditional lifestyles or mindsets. Whether it was fact or not, it is very important that the story is based in Kaohsiung, which may be Taiwan's second city, but is still somewhat considered a backwater. Even though it's quickly modernizing, Kaohsiung and Taipei are very different cities, especially in mindset and behavior (and some would argue government budgets – but that's a political argument and there is little messier in Taiwan than its politics).
The way the father and daughter live is a pre-industrial lifestyle and mindset. You do what you have to do to get by. There aren't all these rules and regulations and registries and bureaucracies. You need a place to live, you just set up shop somewhere, no landlords or rent or bills. What's more, they're happy. Very different from what's suggested at the end – and I'm not giving anything away here – where you just don't know (pay attention to the last shot, it's saying something very intentional).
The film looks like it was shot in digital black & white, which I didn't love the look of, and at 92 minutes long, it's a little story that doesn't overextend itself. It's a laconic human drama that's worth a screening. 7 out of 10 tomatoes.
Friday, March 12, 2010
1985 (mix CD of every year of my life series):
1. Road to Nowhere (Talking Heads)
2. Can't Get There From Here (R.E.M.)
3. Manhattan Project (Rush) (official audio)
4. Cities in Dust (Siouxsie & the Banshees)
5. 76th Star (Rebecca) Japan (unofficial upload)
6. Knight Moves (Suzanne Vega) (official audio)
7. Freaks (Marillion) (official audio)
8. She Sells Sanctuary (The Cult) (unofficial upload)
9. Satisfaction Guaranteed (The Firm) (unofficial upload)
10. Bad (live) (U2)
11. Cemetery Polka (Tom Waits) (unofficial upload)
12. Cloudbusting (Kate Bush)
13. 鎌倉 物語 Kamakura Monogatari (Southern All-Stars) Japan (official audio)
14. Raspberry Beret (Prince)
15. Rain Dogs (Tom Waits) (unofficial upload)
16. Money for Nothing (Dire Straits)
17. Fortress Around Your Heart (Sting)
18. Cotton Alley (10,000 Maniacs) (audio only)
1984:
1. Panama (Van Halen)
2. Blue Jean (David Bowie)
3. Let's Go Crazy (Prince)
4. Nobody Told Me (John Lennon)
5. ミ ス・ブランニュー・デイ (Miss Brand-New Day) (Southern All-Stars) Japan (unofficial upload 2020 - too bizarre and disturbing (and yet hilarious) to not re-link, despite poor quality, every time it's taken down and put up again) (official audio)
6. Slippery People (live) (Talking Heads) (unofficial upload 2014)
7. Living on a Thin Line (The Kinks) (official audio)
8. Distant Early Warning (Rush)
9. This World Over (XTC) (unofficial upload 2017)
10. Do They Know It's Christmas? (Feed the World) (extended version) (Band Aid) (unofficial upload 2012)
11. Against All Odds (Phil Collins)
12. Cinderella Search (12" extended ver.) (Marillion) (unofficial upload 2008)
13. Big Bottom (Spinal Tap) (unofficial upload 2015)
14. Three of a Perfect Pair (King Crimson) (official audio)
15. Walk Through the Fire (Peter Gabriel) (official audio)
16. Radio Ga Ga (Queen)
17. 5:01 A.M. (The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking) (Roger Waters)
18. Pride (In the Name of Love) (U2)
1983:
1. Modern Love (David Bowie)
2. One Thing Leads to Another (The Fixx)
3. Crumblin' Down (John Cougar Mellencamp)
4. Love Struck Baby (Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble)
5. That's All (Genesis)
6. King of Pain (The Police) (unofficial upload)
7. 16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought Six (Tom Waits) (unofficial upload)
8. Add It Up (Violent Femmes) (official audio)
9. New Year's Day (U2)
10. Rock of Ages (Def Leppard) (unofficial upload) (official audio)
11. I'm Still Standing (Elton John)
12. Talking in Your Sleep (The Romantics)
13. Rock 'n' Roll is King (Electric Light Orchestra)
14. The Web (Marillion) (unofficial upload)
15. The Gunner's Dream (Pink Floyd)
16. Come Dancing (The Kinks)
17. This is the Day (The The) (official audio)
18. This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) (Talking Heads) (unofficial upload)
1982:
1. Goody Two Shoes (Adam Ant)
2. Under Pressure (Queen & David Bowie)
3. Senses Working Overtime (XTC) (unofficial upload)
4. There Goes a Tenner (Kate Bush)
5. Our House (Madness)
6. Should I Stay or Should I Go? (The Clash)
7. Mr. Soul (Neil Young) (official audio)
8. You Might Recall (Genesis) (official audio)
9. New World Man (Rush) (unofficial upload)
10. Little Guitars (Van Halen) (unofficial upload)
11. Ozone Baby (Led Zeppelin) (official audio)
12. Trem Two (Mission of Burma)
13. Neurotica (King Crimson) (official audio)
14. Shock the Monkey (Peter Gabriel)
15. 夏をあきらめて Natsu o Akiramete (Southern All-Stars) Japan (official audio)
16. Black Coffee in Bed (Squeeze) (unofficial upload)
17. Moonlight in Samosa (Robert Plant) (official audio)
18. Steppin' Out (Joe Jackson)
19. 1999 (Prince)
1978-1981
1. Road to Nowhere (Talking Heads)
2. Can't Get There From Here (R.E.M.)
3. Manhattan Project (Rush) (official audio)
4. Cities in Dust (Siouxsie & the Banshees)
5. 76th Star (Rebecca) Japan (unofficial upload)
6. Knight Moves (Suzanne Vega) (official audio)
7. Freaks (Marillion) (official audio)
8. She Sells Sanctuary (The Cult) (unofficial upload)
9. Satisfaction Guaranteed (The Firm) (unofficial upload)
10. Bad (live) (U2)
11. Cemetery Polka (Tom Waits) (unofficial upload)
12. Cloudbusting (Kate Bush)
13. 鎌倉 物語 Kamakura Monogatari (Southern All-Stars) Japan (official audio)
14. Raspberry Beret (Prince)
15. Rain Dogs (Tom Waits) (unofficial upload)
16. Money for Nothing (Dire Straits)
17. Fortress Around Your Heart (Sting)
18. Cotton Alley (10,000 Maniacs) (audio only)
1984:
1. Panama (Van Halen)
2. Blue Jean (David Bowie)
3. Let's Go Crazy (Prince)
4. Nobody Told Me (John Lennon)
5. ミ ス・ブランニュー・デイ (Miss Brand-New Day) (Southern All-Stars) Japan (unofficial upload 2020 - too bizarre and disturbing (and yet hilarious) to not re-link, despite poor quality, every time it's taken down and put up again) (official audio)
6. Slippery People (live) (Talking Heads) (unofficial upload 2014)
7. Living on a Thin Line (The Kinks) (official audio)
8. Distant Early Warning (Rush)
9. This World Over (XTC) (unofficial upload 2017)
10. Do They Know It's Christmas? (Feed the World) (extended version) (Band Aid) (unofficial upload 2012)
11. Against All Odds (Phil Collins)
12. Cinderella Search (12" extended ver.) (Marillion) (unofficial upload 2008)
13. Big Bottom (Spinal Tap) (unofficial upload 2015)
14. Three of a Perfect Pair (King Crimson) (official audio)
15. Walk Through the Fire (Peter Gabriel) (official audio)
16. Radio Ga Ga (Queen)
17. 5:01 A.M. (The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking) (Roger Waters)
18. Pride (In the Name of Love) (U2)
1983:
1. Modern Love (David Bowie)
2. One Thing Leads to Another (The Fixx)
3. Crumblin' Down (John Cougar Mellencamp)
4. Love Struck Baby (Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble)
5. That's All (Genesis)
6. King of Pain (The Police) (unofficial upload)
7. 16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought Six (Tom Waits) (unofficial upload)
8. Add It Up (Violent Femmes) (official audio)
9. New Year's Day (U2)
10. Rock of Ages (Def Leppard) (unofficial upload) (official audio)
11. I'm Still Standing (Elton John)
12. Talking in Your Sleep (The Romantics)
13. Rock 'n' Roll is King (Electric Light Orchestra)
14. The Web (Marillion) (unofficial upload)
15. The Gunner's Dream (Pink Floyd)
16. Come Dancing (The Kinks)
17. This is the Day (The The) (official audio)
18. This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) (Talking Heads) (unofficial upload)
1982:
1. Goody Two Shoes (Adam Ant)
2. Under Pressure (Queen & David Bowie)
3. Senses Working Overtime (XTC) (unofficial upload)
4. There Goes a Tenner (Kate Bush)
5. Our House (Madness)
6. Should I Stay or Should I Go? (The Clash)
7. Mr. Soul (Neil Young) (official audio)
8. You Might Recall (Genesis) (official audio)
9. New World Man (Rush) (unofficial upload)
10. Little Guitars (Van Halen) (unofficial upload)
11. Ozone Baby (Led Zeppelin) (official audio)
12. Trem Two (Mission of Burma)
13. Neurotica (King Crimson) (official audio)
14. Shock the Monkey (Peter Gabriel)
15. 夏をあきらめて Natsu o Akiramete (Southern All-Stars) Japan (official audio)
16. Black Coffee in Bed (Squeeze) (unofficial upload)
17. Moonlight in Samosa (Robert Plant) (official audio)
18. Steppin' Out (Joe Jackson)
19. 1999 (Prince)
1978-1981
Two Zhou Xun films
The Equation of Love and Death 李米的猜想 (2008, China)
I love actress Zhou Xun 周迅. I've loved her since one of her earlier films, "Suzhou River" (2000). She's now an A-list actress in China, but not all of her roles have been great – in particular "Ming Ming" (2006), which is probably the only movie I've walked out of the theater before the end.
But she still is a reason to watch a film, and she has gotten glowing reviews for this film, even when the review of the film was weak.
The Chinese title translates to "Li Mi's Guess", or it could be "supposition" or "musing". I don't know who came up with the strange English title, which might suggest the film is offering something more deep or philosophical. It doesn't.
The opening sequence doesn't help matters as the main character rattles off numbers as if she's trying to figure something esoteric out; as if she has some insight into the human condition through math to figure out life's problems. She doesn't.
She's a taxi driver. There, that's it, ignore the English title and the opening sequence, and that's the starting point of this film. She's a taxi driver looking for her boyfriend, missing for several years, and hoping one of her fares will recognize him through a magazine she keeps in the backseat that she has filled with pictures of him.
Unfortunately, she gets mixed up in a plot involving a fare that turns out to be a couple of dim-witted and desperate drug mules, a random suicide and, oddly enough, the object of her search.
Not a bad film, not a great film. I'm happy giving it a 7 out of 10 tomato fresh rating. A decent movie; not a waste of time, but not necessarily a must-see. Zhou Xun fans should definitely check it out, and I also recommend it for fans of foreign and indie films.
The Message 風聲 (2009, China)
Zhou Xun also co-stars with an ensemble cast in this more mainstream Chinese thriller, set during Japan's occupation of China in the 1930's.
Japan invades and occupies China and sets up a puppet government. Naturally, a resistance arises and the government sets up an anti-insurgency agency. However, there is a mole in the agency and the Japanese provisional government is set to weed him/her out by planting a fake message, and when the bait is taken, the few people in the agency who had access to the message are taken and sequestered for them to figure out who is the mole. Really good in all aspects. If the set up appeals, I highly recommend it. 8 out of 10 tomatoes.
I've commented before on other Asian countries' cinematic portrayals of wartime Japan, and how I think one of the reasons they won't let up on throwing Japan's wartime aggression on the screen is because Japan has never really owned up to its atrocities. The Japanese aren't shown to be too bad in this movie, however, it's interesting to note that at one celebratory rally, people are waving German Nazi flags along with the Japanese Rising Sun. And in the facility where the suspects are sequestered, a large Nazi banner is hanging alongside the Rising Sun.
I have to wonder about the historical accuracy of whether the Nazi flag would have been flown along with Japan's flag (not sure about the accuracy of whether they would have been flying the Rising Sun flag, either, since that was, in particular, the flag of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The army used Japan's national flag, if I remember correctly).
Either it was historically accurate, or it's brazenly aligning the Japanese with Nazi Germany and not letting anyone forget who was the bad guy.
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