Musicals and movies
So I'm on the bus down to Singapore. It's the First Coach from Bangsar, next to the 7-11 next to the LRT. It's pretty decent, I like the seats and it's generally comfy. More importantly to my essentially-Penang soul, it's cheap (RM40 to go down). To M's great amusement, a screen pops down in the middle of the bus to show us... Snakes On The Plane. What a bloody charming show. We got the uncensored version, so the snakes were full-on ham sup - titty-biting, kuku-biting. Those was probably the best parts of the whole show... aside from the amazing translation. The most classic being "Ianya di keldai saya!" Yes sir, there may be a snake on your donkey / mule, but I think you should be more worried about the one biting your butt! Oh THAT's what you meant. Ugh. Samuel L Jackson, bro, you just might need to be a leeetle more selective about the parts you take man...
Forbidden City is loooovely.
Seeing as I've just gotten new eyes (and ears) for musicals, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. The set was amazing (so simple, so effective, and so nice!), the costumes were great, the songs were good, the leads were wonderful. Gripes: sound balance (it was always a struggle to hear what the people sang), ensemble enunciation (I generally couldn't understand what they were singing), and some of the choreography. Some of it was great to watch, but the rest I struggled to see what they were doing (esp the intro scene on the train, for "Dragon Lady"). Yes, generally minor gripes - I was quite disappointed that I couldn't really hear George Chan, as I heard he's meant to be amazing.
Anyway Kit Chan (main lead) was bloody brilliant; Hossan Leong and Sebastian Tan (Record Keepers) were grrrreat; Hal Fowler (Morrison), Sheila Francisco (Empress Dowager) & Leigh McDonald (Kate) did very well. The songs are memorable - in fact we bought the CD (S$20 - we were initially disappointed with it as it only has 13 tracks, but it pleasantly surprised us with its completeness and quality - great stuff!) (note that it unfortunately contrasts with the BB CD - initially impressive and unpleasantly surprising with its quality, sad to say) and I'm listening to various songs every day. Yes, some of the songs do run through my head at random points of the day.
My favourite parts of the musical:
1. The set! Man, it is bloody fantastic. From the clever representation of a train for the first scene, to the introduction of the frame, to the multiple (and smartly effective) uses of the frame and curtains. Kudos to the set designer (one Francis O'Connor, according to the programme)!
2. The ending of Act 1. Wonderful set-up for Act 2, with a sexy hint of what's to come. See M's blog for her reference to it.
3. Kit Chan's representation of a Yehenara that matures and grows. The way she changes her voice, her poise, the way she speaks as Act 2 progresses is so subtle and yet so wonderful to behold.
4. The programme. It's S$2! The print annoys me a bit (quite hard to read some things due to lack of contrast to background colour and font size), but it's two bloody dollars! Wahey!
The Banquet is meant to be based on Hamlet.
I'm embarrassed to say that I don'ch know Hamlet. It (The Banquet) is gorgeous, it is entertaining, it is utterly visually orgasmic. Story... I don't know. Suffers from minor dodgy points, and the ending is just... wtf. The sets and settings and scenes were great, the fight scenes are bloody brilliant (I'd watch it again for them). I'll have to compare it to my favourite period Chinese piece, which is Hero - and it just can't compare lah. Zhang Zi Yi is, of course, yummily gorgeous. Conclusion? Watch it. Looking at what I've written, it appears to be very much a guy's show - hot chick, great fight scenes - what more do you need? Heh. On a quick side note, the cinemas at Mid Valley stink. Bring potpourri. Or something.
S'kali (currently showing at Damansara Cineplex) is a quintessentially Malaysian show.
In the words of a friend, "it's something everyone has thought of doing, but no one did until now." A coming-of-age trials-and-tribulations of a group of 5 friends, who had just completed college. It is simple, charming and entertaining, and overall I enjoyed it - mainly because of the genuine feeling of camaraderie among the group, and the bonding with each other. The story had great potential that was unfortunately not explored. I think they could have afforded to dig deeper with all the themes in the show - are mixed-race relationships all about the race? How do you support a friend who seems to have dug him/herself into a hole and is still digging? How does the reluctant benefactor of a racially-biased policy really feel? How does a group deal with the potential emigration of a member? What they had built up could have easily supported further exploration.
My biggest gripes are with 2 of the actors and the editors. Tehmina could have done so much with her character - the role requires a lot of emotional intensity, which would have made it a very powerful and moving part of the tale - but I just never connected with her. Tzao felt very one-dimensional - I don't know if that's because of the actor or because of the script - and I never really got to see any reason these people hung out with him. There's an "action replay" sequence lasting about 2 minutes that really pulled the movie down - don't know what the editors were thinking there.
Conclusion: go watch it. Support filem Malaysia. Anyway it's better than 90% of the crap that Hollywood's churning out right now.
Boardgames
I've been introduced to St Petersburg, and my love for a good boardgame has been re-ignited.
Man, so simple, and so damn good. If you've any penchant for strategy, you'll be hooked to this. In its purest essence, it's all about what to do with your money - of which there's never enough. You can spend on 3 things - cheap income (and minimal Victory Points - the point of the game [pun intended]), expensive income (with more VP) and big VP (with minimal income). Of course, the value of each of these 3 things changes over the course of the game - initially you want lots of income, while at the end you'll want lots of VP. The magical element to this all is, of course, competition. So every card has some cost, plus how valuable it is to you now according to your current strategy (which might change according to what comes out and what others do), plus how valuable it is to the person after you, plus it's value to the other people. All of which change on a turn-by-turn basis - why did he not buy that? Why did she take that but not buy it? Why is he passing? Which one is more valuable to me in the long run?
All in all, it's a wonderful mind-fuck, and I love it.
BTW if you're in Singapore, go check out Paradigm Infinitum at Midpoint Orchard (near Somerset MRT) - it's geek paradise. Loads of boardgames (the selection is amazing) and miniatures. You can experience Warhammer 40k tabletop firsthand, if you want. I feel like buying all the boardgames there just to see what they're like... you know, get some friends together, lots of snacks (but no alcohol, otherwise cannot learn any new games!) and just play boardgames. Now if I could only find some way of getting paid to do that...
Oh and about the most classic of all boardgames (to Westerners) - chess: Lego has made a chess set. Man, it is SO DAMN FUCKING COOL. Do one for Chinese chess too and I'll build a shrine to you. Made of Lego. Obviously.
On a tiny side note: Lego Star Wars 2 is out! Sing hallelujah, Star Wars geeks!!
fiftynine minutes
In case you can't read what's on the images I posted last time, I've updated that post to include the text as well as maps to the venue. Do come (and support Malaysian theatre) - I promise that you will be entertained.
Positively contributing to society
Make a stand against online child abuse: http://www.lightamillioncandles.com/
Say NO to Rape - tougher rape laws in Malaysia: http://www.safermalaysia.org/
Forbidden City is loooovely.
Seeing as I've just gotten new eyes (and ears) for musicals, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. The set was amazing (so simple, so effective, and so nice!), the costumes were great, the songs were good, the leads were wonderful. Gripes: sound balance (it was always a struggle to hear what the people sang), ensemble enunciation (I generally couldn't understand what they were singing), and some of the choreography. Some of it was great to watch, but the rest I struggled to see what they were doing (esp the intro scene on the train, for "Dragon Lady"). Yes, generally minor gripes - I was quite disappointed that I couldn't really hear George Chan, as I heard he's meant to be amazing.Anyway Kit Chan (main lead) was bloody brilliant; Hossan Leong and Sebastian Tan (Record Keepers) were grrrreat; Hal Fowler (Morrison), Sheila Francisco (Empress Dowager) & Leigh McDonald (Kate) did very well. The songs are memorable - in fact we bought the CD (S$20 - we were initially disappointed with it as it only has 13 tracks, but it pleasantly surprised us with its completeness and quality - great stuff!) (note that it unfortunately contrasts with the BB CD - initially impressive and unpleasantly surprising with its quality, sad to say) and I'm listening to various songs every day. Yes, some of the songs do run through my head at random points of the day.
My favourite parts of the musical:
1. The set! Man, it is bloody fantastic. From the clever representation of a train for the first scene, to the introduction of the frame, to the multiple (and smartly effective) uses of the frame and curtains. Kudos to the set designer (one Francis O'Connor, according to the programme)!
2. The ending of Act 1. Wonderful set-up for Act 2, with a sexy hint of what's to come. See M's blog for her reference to it.
3. Kit Chan's representation of a Yehenara that matures and grows. The way she changes her voice, her poise, the way she speaks as Act 2 progresses is so subtle and yet so wonderful to behold.
4. The programme. It's S$2! The print annoys me a bit (quite hard to read some things due to lack of contrast to background colour and font size), but it's two bloody dollars! Wahey!
The Banquet is meant to be based on Hamlet.
I'm embarrassed to say that I don'ch know Hamlet. It (The Banquet) is gorgeous, it is entertaining, it is utterly visually orgasmic. Story... I don't know. Suffers from minor dodgy points, and the ending is just... wtf. The sets and settings and scenes were great, the fight scenes are bloody brilliant (I'd watch it again for them). I'll have to compare it to my favourite period Chinese piece, which is Hero - and it just can't compare lah. Zhang Zi Yi is, of course, yummily gorgeous. Conclusion? Watch it. Looking at what I've written, it appears to be very much a guy's show - hot chick, great fight scenes - what more do you need? Heh. On a quick side note, the cinemas at Mid Valley stink. Bring potpourri. Or something.S'kali (currently showing at Damansara Cineplex) is a quintessentially Malaysian show.
In the words of a friend, "it's something everyone has thought of doing, but no one did until now." A coming-of-age trials-and-tribulations of a group of 5 friends, who had just completed college. It is simple, charming and entertaining, and overall I enjoyed it - mainly because of the genuine feeling of camaraderie among the group, and the bonding with each other. The story had great potential that was unfortunately not explored. I think they could have afforded to dig deeper with all the themes in the show - are mixed-race relationships all about the race? How do you support a friend who seems to have dug him/herself into a hole and is still digging? How does the reluctant benefactor of a racially-biased policy really feel? How does a group deal with the potential emigration of a member? What they had built up could have easily supported further exploration.My biggest gripes are with 2 of the actors and the editors. Tehmina could have done so much with her character - the role requires a lot of emotional intensity, which would have made it a very powerful and moving part of the tale - but I just never connected with her. Tzao felt very one-dimensional - I don't know if that's because of the actor or because of the script - and I never really got to see any reason these people hung out with him. There's an "action replay" sequence lasting about 2 minutes that really pulled the movie down - don't know what the editors were thinking there.
Conclusion: go watch it. Support filem Malaysia. Anyway it's better than 90% of the crap that Hollywood's churning out right now.
Boardgames
I've been introduced to St Petersburg, and my love for a good boardgame has been re-ignited.
Man, so simple, and so damn good. If you've any penchant for strategy, you'll be hooked to this. In its purest essence, it's all about what to do with your money - of which there's never enough. You can spend on 3 things - cheap income (and minimal Victory Points - the point of the game [pun intended]), expensive income (with more VP) and big VP (with minimal income). Of course, the value of each of these 3 things changes over the course of the game - initially you want lots of income, while at the end you'll want lots of VP. The magical element to this all is, of course, competition. So every card has some cost, plus how valuable it is to you now according to your current strategy (which might change according to what comes out and what others do), plus how valuable it is to the person after you, plus it's value to the other people. All of which change on a turn-by-turn basis - why did he not buy that? Why did she take that but not buy it? Why is he passing? Which one is more valuable to me in the long run?All in all, it's a wonderful mind-fuck, and I love it.
BTW if you're in Singapore, go check out Paradigm Infinitum at Midpoint Orchard (near Somerset MRT) - it's geek paradise. Loads of boardgames (the selection is amazing) and miniatures. You can experience Warhammer 40k tabletop firsthand, if you want. I feel like buying all the boardgames there just to see what they're like... you know, get some friends together, lots of snacks (but no alcohol, otherwise cannot learn any new games!) and just play boardgames. Now if I could only find some way of getting paid to do that...
Oh and about the most classic of all boardgames (to Westerners) - chess: Lego has made a chess set. Man, it is SO DAMN FUCKING COOL. Do one for Chinese chess too and I'll build a shrine to you. Made of Lego. Obviously.On a tiny side note: Lego Star Wars 2 is out! Sing hallelujah, Star Wars geeks!!
fiftynine minutes
In case you can't read what's on the images I posted last time, I've updated that post to include the text as well as maps to the venue. Do come (and support Malaysian theatre) - I promise that you will be entertained.
Positively contributing to society
Make a stand against online child abuse: http://www.lightamillioncandles.com/
Say NO to Rape - tougher rape laws in Malaysia: http://www.safermalaysia.org/
posted by Jo at 5:34 pm
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