Category: Spanish

  • Moi et le funky musique~~~

    So… today it’s voting Sunday. And I’ve also setup my About page… and got rid of my Favorites page because… well, it seemed redundant to have two pages about me. LOL

    In case you missed the post in which I talked about my taste in film, this is a similar post that talks about my history… or lack of history with music.

    When I was about 7, my dad opened a Karaoke bar (how Asian, non?). But by then, I had already grown up with the likes of the music of La Nueva Ola (the new wave) — you know, the type of Rock n’ Roll from The King… Jailhouse Rock or Houndog but in Spanish. My favorite tunes were probably La Plaga (the plage, the Spanish version of Little Richard’s Good Golly, Miss Molly), and La Mantequilla (the butter, the Spanish version of Cliff Richard and the Shadows’ Move It).

    Of course, I was a little kid going to Chinese/Peruvian school, so my repertoire also included the Cantonese Counting Song Yat Yi Sam, as well as the counting Elefantes song… as well as the Sukiyaki song. So from the very beginning… I had a predisposition for all types of music in many different languages.
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  • A little about moi

    Other than not having anything to post, I thought I could write a little about me (maybe add an “about page”) – who knows… I mean, other than having the seldom post with an anecdote related to the post, what do most people who visit know about me other than the fact that I like to post about Yu Aoi, I post weekly on Glee, what I watch or what I listen to.

    What about me?

    My favorite genre is tear-jerking dramas… of the art house foreign kind. The more I cry, the more I feel satisfied with a film. For two hours of my life – or how many films or shows I get to watch in a day – I like high-tension dramas that will get my heart beating faster, and feel so much pain for the characters. I often like to put myself in the position of the main character, and pretend I can be them — making me cry even more. So as I grow older, the movies I tend to watch have less to do with the younger crowd. LOL Sometimes I think I could be an actress. LOL

    Anyway, in real life? I’m the complete opposite. I like my life tension-free. I hate drama, and I live a simple life enjoying art and eating. I avoid high-tension situations, I avoid big crowds, and avoid meeting too many people at once. I prefer a dinner for two on a weekend at home with a good film to watch, than partying in a room full of people I see less than twice a year.

    So while I love super dramatic dramas xD my life is more like an artsy fartsy film in which nothing happens. xD

    In my life, a lot of people speak Spanish… then someone mixes in Cantonese. We also speak English… and sometimes… only sometimes, we end up a bit snobbish with some French. See, very artsy fartsy.

    Symphony of Lights, Hong Kong

    My home life was very much like some quirky Asian film – queue Hong Kong film – maybe a reason why I have a soft spot for them despite some of their lacking points. My grandfather was a character, out of World War II, telling me how in China he was relatives with someone of Royal blood. LOL I never really believed THAT but it’s one of those things that’s funny to remember.

    I have a weak heart for films that deal with Alzheimer disease – I literally spent half of Away from Her crying every time she didn’t remember a thing. And I cried my heart out watching Ken Watanabe on Memories of Tomorrow struggling with living with the disease as he begun forgetting his own wife. Another reason why The Notebook affected me as it did… LOL

    I also have a soft spot for Family dramas… less prominent in America or Europe, but oh so popular in Asia. I wonder why? LOL Asian and Latin Americans are similar that way. Despite all the arguments I may have with my family — not only parents, but extended family as well… uncles, aunts, cousins~~~ we poke fun at each other in good spirits. We actually do love each other.

    wyk4p-2-c318

    In light entertainment? I literally haven’t enjoyed a silly comedy since I saw Zoolander at the cinemas, though The Sweetest Thing is a good one. My humor tends to be either silly — as in Asian gag-related — or really bizarre… which I only use with members of my family, because we all get each other. That’s political humor, religious humor, race humor… and so on. We sometimes poke fun of dead people on the news LOL

    I love musicals – sometimes I think I’m a gay man trapped in a little girl’s body? LOL – I love hipster films, I like romantic comedies… but I tend to avoid Jennifer Aniston. I like animation (can you imagine how much I enjoyed Happy Feet? LOL), and I think female comedians are funnier than male ones. Romantic comedy Dan in Real Life with gorgeous Juliette Binoche… and a surprisingly good Steve Carell (and zing! Emily Blunt) was great… except for the annoying experience to see Dane Cook on screen. I despise Cook. It’s something I can’t explain. xD

  • Foreign Submissions Update

    Some very exciting news – First, it seems I’ve seen more than TWO of the Foreign submissions this year LOL. Of course that’s without considering the 9 films that will go through the other stage, and the 5 that will be chosen. I’ll probably get a 1/5 ratio at the most.

    Second of all… China chose Xiaogang Feng’s earthquake drama Aftershocks to represent them. *jumpy claps* Now, this is my weakness. I love tear-jerking dramas. Anyone who’s lived through an earthquake should and will be affected by the story, anyone who’s lived through a hurricane, typhoon, any catastrophic natural disaster. Aftershocks is for you. But this is not to say that Aftershocks is exploitative of the tragedy, because this “earthquake” film is little about the earthquake and all about the people affected by it.

    Considering the technical achievement this is, and how human and audience-friendly this drama is, I think this might have high chances of passing to the “chosen 9”. *crosses fingers*

    Here are some of the submissions I’ve seen and reviewed:

    The updated titles via Indie Wire!

  • Mario Testino for Todo o Nada at Madrid’s Thyssen Museum

    Ooh la la, Sr. Testino.

    I remember the Thyssen Museum was huge. I don’t even remember what I saw there, I just remember it well because as I always do in my travels, I was looking for a memorable key-chain that would remind me of Madrid. Of course, key-chains are supposed to be cheap, and I always put them in my backpack… that’s my thing, key-chain from whatever city, and/or coins or paper money.

    However, in my short time in Madrid I couldn’t find a single decent key-chain that said Madrid. Americans seem to have the best name-of-city key-chains made in China. LOL So… I ended up buying  a super expensive Thyssen Museum key-chain which was about 10 Euros. At that time, probably $15. Frack. That’s why I remember the place.

    And for all the key-chains made in China, I was never able to find a decent key-chain there. All I brought home was Yuans, and Hong Kong dollars. xD

    But alas, we’re here for Mr. Testino. I wonder if they will be bringing this exhibit here?

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  • APRICOT by Ben Briand

    In case you missed it, you can still vote for APRICOT at the Vimeo Festival for Best Narrative. It goes against Nuit Blanche, as well as The Raven by Peruvian director Ricardo de Montreuil (Mujer de mi Hermano, Mancora).

  • Masaki Okada and Yu Aoi for MAIKA’s Kokoro – Raiou MV

    It’s supposed to be the short version – remember this? – Well, it’s here.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xu2aVWvP__o

    Have I told you that MAIKA reminds me a LOT of old school Shakira in her Donde Estas Corazon and Donde Estan los Ladrones days? You know, before she turned blonde on me and began doing that thing she calls Shakira music in English? Kind of like Alanis when she became happy. Shakira was the Latin American Alanis.

    So I approve of Maika. Must now find if she’s got an album – hmm… kinda reluctant to get a single. But, anyway… remember Masaki and Yu were going to lip-sync? OMG, it’s the cutest thing ever. I hope there’s a long version of just the two of them lip-syncing because that was the highlight of the video.

  • Lee Hom Wang – Mei/Beautiful

    You know, the first time I listened to the album via mp3, I didn’t feel it… at least, most of the songs. My favorite was and still is The Daily Necessities, but now I’ve warmed up to a couple more. One of them is Mei, which sounded kinda weird at first with the autotune and the piano, and the tinge of Chinese traditional. However, once I got the album — which I was regretting of having pre-ordered — I found myself singing to the song LOL

    In the video, Leehom is pimping… and dancing a bit a la JTimberlake or a la Usher against a shot of backlight. He plays the piano, and even dares to hablar un poco de espanol. Actually, the video is pure eye candy if you like him. ;P

  • HBO’s Mildred Pierce Teaser

    You know I love Joan Crawford, I said the same thing when this project was announced, and even if I can girlcrush on Kate Winslet, and I’m an Evan Rachel Wood enthusiast — not as fervent as a few years back — I’m still holding on judgement because HBO does good.

    First of all, I don’t remember any subtext from the mother/daughter relation from the movie. And also… is it only a little weird Winslet is like just a couple of years older than Rachel McAdams, and that Evan Rachel Wood is just a few years younger than McAdams, are playing Mother/Daughter? xD Just a tiny bit Mexican Telenovela? Actually, no – Mexican Telenovelas are out of control. The actress playing a mother can be 35 and the actress playing the daughter can be 25, and you’re supposed to buy it. Even worse, you’re 50 and you’re supposed to have a 25-year-old granddaughter. xD

    At least Winslet looks like she’s been not been madeup for glamor or a party.

    not tagging this as trailer yet xD

  • The Ultimate Product Battle! Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Mainland China, Latin America, America – Standard and Limited Editions!

    I think that’s pretty much my 2010 album collection. And I’ve kept it 2010 to be fair. Today I bought a bunch of albums from Latin American artists that I found cheap and wanted to add to my collection – one was even released in 2000 LOL – and then I thought “Well, this is a poor CD insert.”

    From left to right, top to bottom – the contestants are:

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  • Top10 Recent East Asian Films that Should Be Released in Peru

    Bam! I’m into making lists now. xD

    To push distributors, and tickle their curiosity, as well as showing them it can also be good business to bring Asian flicks. Plus, cinephiles would love a little more variety in their local theaters, and I bet regular moviegoers wouldn’t mind one or two non-Hollywood blockbusters… after all, we already watch everything subtitled! We don’t have an issue with them like some… other… people.

    If Americans (and Canadians) complain about the little variety of Asian films outside martial arts, or auteur cinema – well, really. Stop complaining. It’s even worse down here. If you got 5 releases a year (just an assumption), then we get one… if we’re lucky. Sorry, I’m not so campy with J-horror… I’m a little tired. I must be too old for it now. LOL

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