Category: Moving Media

  • Fanart Posters for Nora Noh Docu

    Last night, I got the chance to watch a Nora Noh documentary, simply titled Nora Noh. She is Korea’s first fashion designer to ever put on a fashion show in the country. There were some highlight comments, like when Seo Eun-young points out all these Korean celebrities are trying to ride the Korean Wave, when the wave has already been ridden by Nora. Way back when there was no wave.

    There was also the comment on Korean pedigree when paying foreign creative directors, makeup artists, photographers, models, etc. more just for being foreign, when they all have talented people in Korea.

    I need to gather my thoughts~

    And though the docu has an official poster, I played around with some photos… because I got my computer back.

    nora-noh-fanart-poster-002
    That would be… a triple poster~

    I preferred the single sketch poster (3), I think.

  • Chen Bing for Mayday’s Eternal Summer

    Since I was kinda lukewarm with Season 2 of The Voice of China, and the format of the show seems to have expanded… and I don’t have my dad to watch with, I haven’t been following this year’s season. Just reading Cfensi’s recaps. xD

    Also, there’s not as much variety of music genres and voices like in the first season. However, I’m always game for someone who wants to sing Mayday, because as my dad would note… there is a certain flare to Mayday’s music, as well as Ashin’s voice (plus composition skills!). Nobody can really do Mayday’s music like Mayday can.

    But damn~ Chen Bing (陈冰), aka. Kiki, does it pretty well.

    I’m not sure about being Kiki Chen, though. And it can’t be plain Kiki, because there’s Kiki from Milk@Coffee.

    You can also get the clean song on Xiami, because those damn The Voice special effects can get in the way.

  • Revamped Indian Film Journey

    I don’t think there’s been any significant update since April [1], but since my internal hard disk got busted after a sudden power outage, I lost my last mindmap. Instead of recreating it, I revamped it with some clean-up names and added some others. The clean-up? I got rid off Aishwarya (at least, until I watch other films of her), Nana Patekar (haven’t seen him in a while), same with Arshad Warsi, Sanjay Dutt. Got rid off Kareena, Sonakshi Sinha, Abhishek Bachchan, Anushka Sharma, Ajay Devgn, Salman, and Preity.

    Only filmmaker to go is M.F. Husain, because- well, no more films. Also, there’s more order, because I’m lumping all Karan Johar directed or backed projects on his hub.

    indian-film-journey-aug1014

    It’s been a year yo! [1]

    Objectively speaking, though I love Tabu with all my fandom heart, I gotta admit that Rani Mukerji is the best movie hub to start out. The only thing she’s missing, really, is films with these other directors like Vishal or Vikramadytia Motwane. I doubt Imtiaz Ali would ever cast her in anything- besides, most his movies… though decent, are quite overvalued. Especially RockStar. And she was >THIS< close to getting to The Namesake, that really…

    Rani’s got Bhansali, Hassan, Balan, Konkona and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. That’s of course on top of Shahrukh Khan, Aamir (and the other two Khans), Mani Ratnam, Juhi, and family connections aside, Kajol. And look at the times she’s worked with Amitabh Bachchan… and even son. That’s basically the whole contemporary commercial Indian film spectrum.

    Tabu, on the other hand, has Vishal Bhardwaj and Gulzar, sure. She would also get Hassan (though not at his best), and Konkona… as well as Mani Ratnam, Amitabh, and Juhi (in her leading lady days) — probably more crossovers like Govinda and Salman. She also has Mira Nair and Ang Lee in her bag (though not strictly Indian-verse), and a whole bunch of regional films… but they’re more Telugu than anything else. Then there’s Nagarjuna. She had that symbiotic film-relationship to Madhur Bhandakar, whose career isn’t very good at the moment, though I thought Heroine improved in the horrible story treatment he had in Fashion.

    I haven’t dared to watch Juhi’s earlier filmography because there’s so much early Aamir, and I’m not a fan of him in those days or Indian commercial films in general. Confession: Hum Aapke Hain Koun…! and Hum Saath-Saath Hain are pretty bad. Both the same director, a director Tabu wants to make a new comedy with. Not a comedy with Rajkumar Hirani, or a Motwane-backed project like Queen or Hasse Toh Phasee. She wants the dude that gave you Salman.

    I’m becoming one of those fans that question her film choices. xD Having said that, I am still looking for Idee Sangati (or however you romanize it). I know Telugu films aren’t my thing, and not even Manam is changing my position, but I need to watch that movie.

  • Jenji Kohan for Aug’14 The Hollywood Reporter

    Jenji Kohan did a very good interview for The Hollywood Reporter where she talks about her journey as a spec writer, her stints on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Friends, her experience with Weeds and Orange is the New Black. All with a fabulous cover with colorful hair, because, as her mother put it “if you can’t fix it, decorate it.”

    jenji-kohan-hollywood-reporter-aug2014

    Read the whole interview on THR website.

  • Huzzah Rani for Mardaani

    Though I did knocked the trailer out because I thought Rani might have been a little “too chunky” to pull off the chasing and fighting [1], her frame actually makes much more sense. I’ve never met in real life a come-hither-you sexy of a female (or male) cop, as many of them just look like the police that are played by extras, instead of them sexy male or female leads on Hollywood movies.

    Plus, Rani does look like a total badass, so what’s not to like?

    And seeing that she’s promoting self-defense classes and all, why not just lump black-belt Rina Takeda in here. ‘Coz, duh! Rina Takeda would not only take Rani (or Madhuri or Priyanka) out, she would also take down SRK, probably Salman and maybe Akshay Kumar… though I may have read he knows martial arts or something? Maybe he was just a fan of Hong Kong martial arts movies…

  • Yu Aoi and her 15 Years in the Business

    There’s an interview with Yu Aoi on (I guess, Japanese?) Woman Mangazine, where she mentions that she’s celebrating 15 years of work… so here’s a snapshot from some issue of ku:nel Magazine of Yu Aoi just chilling eating plain yogurt.

    yu-aoi-kunel-magazine

    Random enough? LOL, in the interview she talks about what she’s learned from other more experienced actors, like they’re not people of expressions, but people of labor. Then later explains how that played into her “training camp” experience for the shooting of Haru wo Seotte, which was shot at over 2500m above sea level in the snowy mountains.

    You can read the whole interview here.

    In the meantime, lets take a look at some oldies of Yu’s career, because~~~ WHY NOT? Some good old fashioned All About Lily Chou Chou screencaps via buta-neko.net, and some rare Oha GARU screencap via this blog.

  • Rina Takeda Kicking Ass in the Morning, Taking Names in the Evening

    High-Kick Girl! was a really really poorly-edited movie with a very weak script, but Rina Takeda makes a lasting impression because, well… in their words: “No wires. No stuntmen. Literally really kicking. Seriously… I get kicked.” is their selling point.

    If Scarlet Johansson gets to be an action star. Why shouldn’t Rina Takeda get to do it? Please, Luc Besson and Donnie Yen and Jackie Chan. Take notice!

    SO.MUCH.POTENTIAL.RIGHT.THERE.

    Karate Girl was already an improvement. Imagine the possibilities with a strong director, first class action choreography and a proper project surrounding the girl.

  • Satine, the Sparkling Diamond vs. Chandramukhi – FIGHT!

    The other day I caught a rerun of Moulin Rouge! on tv, and this is the first time I’ve lived it — I not only sing out loud, but recite as well as cry during the whole show… so, yeah~ I LIVE IT — since I started watching Indian films. The only thing that would make that movie better is to have had Urmila in there for the Chamma Chamma [clip] sample.

    You can’t really get any more Indian -near masala levels- than this, and of course my mind had to have a Battle of the Courtesans between Satine, The Sparkling Diamond and Chandramukhi. It’s a visual battle between Baz Lurhman and Sanjay Leela Bhansali, a flawless duel between Nicole Kidman and Madhuri Dixit, and a fight for the dramatic between Moulin Rouge! and Devdas.

    satine-moulin-rouge-chandramukhi-devdas

    On one side, you got the courtesan manipulated to stay that falls in love with the mistaken penniless writer, until she finds out the evil duke will kill her loved one- oh, and she’s dying of tuberculosis. On the other, the courtesan lives in a mysteriously super posh and luxurious whorehouse, and is the most sought after until she falls in love with the rich lawyer who’s suffering of a broken heart and likes to get drunk to forget his sorrows… that is, of course, until he dies of liver failure after a long period of continuous intoxication.

    Jesus, Chandramukhi. Forget, Devdas, and elope with Christian.

  • Xiami + Chinese Indie Music Compilation Xun Guang Ji

    xiami-xun-guang-ji-seeking-light-collection

    Xiami had been pimping a new project they had going on for the last couple of days, and they’ve just revealed that it’s a 2-disc compilation featuring Chinese-Taiwan-UK Beijing-based indie artists. It’s a pretty good set that I’ve freely translated as the Seeking Light Compilation (寻光集, Xun Guang Ji) or in Español- Colección Buscando la Luz.

    See, this is what happens when you have no official ‘christian’ name.

    Check my English and Español announcements for translated group names and songs. Looking forward to exploring everyone’s discography.

    You can get the album on Xiami.

  • What I Like About Bollywood Movies

    It’s been a few years since I did a “what I like about” post [1][2], and considering that it’s been one full year since I officially started watching Indian films, I thought it’d be great to look back to see What I Like About Bollywood– pardon me, Indian Films.

    what-i-love-about-bollywood-indian-films

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