RMB: Records, Movies, Books

2014-06

MOVIES

 

The Other Woman

If you want to engage in a fun, easy-to-watch comedy, The Other Woman fits the bill. The storyline is typical, “girlfriends plot against the mutual guy that broke their heart”, but with this movie, there is a twist: the wife befriends her husband’s mistresses to get revenge on the cheating man.
The female roles include Carly, the high powdered lawyer (Cameron Diaz), Kate, the ditsy housewife (Leslie Mann) and clueless young woman Amber (Kate Upton). After Kate realises her husband has been committing adultery, she seeks help from Carly and forces a friendship with her. Their initial and awkward relationship evolves into a true friendship and soon extends to a trio after they learn about Amber, the second mistress. Like the three musketeers, they form a pact to destroy the life of Mark (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau).
The only thing that saves this movie from being a complete cliché is Leslie Mann’s role. In every scene she appears, she commands attention and her comedic performance creates a very complex character. She’s the mix of a naïve needy girl and highly neurotic adult, which when combined, form a goofy, endearing character.
The Other Woman is glamorous and provides a couple of fun, slightly cheap laughs. Watch it to relax and distract your mind.
 
Elissa Huang
 
The Great Hypnotist
 
A renowned hypnotist, played by Xu Cheng, is enlisted to help a mysterious female client named Ren, Karen Mok; the psychologically disturbed woman “no-one can treat”. Ren’s complaint is that she can see dead people – hello Sixth Sense – and she reiterates almost like a mantra throughout the film, that it is not what she sees that she wants to discover, but ‘why’. This psycho-mystery challenges everything we think we know and throws it back in our faces.
Marbles, cherry blossom and elderly women living under the floorboards all play a part as Dr. Ruining acts detective to investigate deep into Ren’s past and place her elusive identity, not knowing that the process will actually unearth some ghosts from his own past.
The film starts out promising, and has some beautiful evocative flashbacks as we follow Ren’s mind under-hypnosis, but it is ruined by the poorly thought-out twist at the end that overloads the audience with a turbulent tableau of flashbacks.
For those who have seen Lost in Thailand (the Chinese comedy), Xu’s performance may not be too much of a departure from his usual roles, so at times, the film is unintentionally funny.
The staple Asian horror elements are all there, but with China’s regulations on the horror genre, it means no crazy ghost visuals, and undoubtedly the film is too sentimental for hard-core thrillseekers. The film is not lacking, however, in suspense, and you’ll probably never view marbles in the same way again. 
 
Eva Clifford
 
Godzilla
 
Fire and chaos ensue with the return of the infamous monster, Godzilla. The world has been waiting for this moment for nearly two decades since Roland Emmerich’s version in 1998. With a modern CGI approach, this blockbuster is guaranteed to capture audiences from across the globe. Positive critical acclaims and high audience ratings reveal the energetic excitement of this box office hit.
Director Gareth Edwards has been praised for his interpretation and execution. His film combines modern technology with an epic monster, creating an explosive set that thrills both critics and audiences alike. In fact, he has even been compared to Spielberg in numerous reviews since the film’s global release.
The one main critique is aimed at Godzilla’s delayed entrance. Edwards introduces an element of suspense, forcing the audience to wait for the monster’s appearance. Despite this, however, the monster’s entrance has been hailed with flames and glory since the film’s release – rarely affecting the positive audience reaction.
Explosions, catastrophes and intense fighting scenes occur throughout the film – keeping audiences on the edge of their seats as they follow the Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms (MUTOs) and the destruction of San Francisco until Godzilla’s arrival. Powerful nuclear weapons and detonating warheads provide the intense backdrop to this film. Definitely one of the most extreme, captivating films this year.
 
Chelsea Wells
 
The Wind Rises
 
The Wind Rises, sadly, is the final film from legendary director Hayao Miyazaki who, at the age of 73, has decided to retire from animation.
Over his six-decade career he has, as co-founder of Studio Ghibli, brought joy and happiness to countless children and adults alike. Tales like My neighbour Totoro and Howl's Moving Castle have cemented their places as cinema classics.
Miyazaki’s famed obsessive attention to detail has insured that any film coming out of Studio Ghibli is guaranteed to be a wondrous affair and The Wind Rises is no exception, forming a brilliant swansong to his career.
Ghibli films tend to sit in two camps, either fantasy or real life. This film sits somewhere in the middle and follows the life of Jiro Horikoshi, a gifted aeronautical engineer, living during the beginning of the 20th century who dreams of building beautiful aircraft. The history of Japan during this period is dangerous and scarred, it’s no surprise that Miyasaki’s mild political undertones have caused anger in Japan, but unless you’re a Japanese nationalist, the message is well carried.
Jiro Horikosh goes on to design the famous Japanese Zero fighter plane used during WWII. As such, it is difficult to apply a fantasy aspect to such a serious subject but Ghibli manages, through dream sequences, to achieve this difficult task. It’s a surreal adventure, heartwrenching and beautiful in equal measure. Not to be missed by fans or new audiences alike. An excellent, if challenging send off for the master.
 
Dawa Tshering
 
BOOKS
 
No Place To Hide
Glenn Greenwald
McClelland & Stewart
 
On 1 December, 2012, Glen Greenwald, one-time civil rights lawyer, political blogger, activist journalist and author first received communication from a person calling themselves Cincinnatus, and who insisted that Greenwald install a PGP encryption programme in order to facilitate private correspondence between the two parties. For a few months, Greenwald failed to take the advice of this stranger and communication stalled. That is how close Greenwald came to missing the scoop of his career, for that mystery stranger was actually Edward Snowdon, the man who would later go on to hand him thousands of secret documents from the most secretive of agencies, namely the NSA and GCHQ.
This book details the circumstances of the initial communications between Greenwald and Snowdon along with the author’s trip to Hong Kong for a meeting with Snowdon. It then goes on to list the revelations from the preliminary documents. Finally, it deals with Greenwald’s perceptions about the established media and the harms of surveillance.
Specifically, he feels that the established media tend to avoid publishing material that goes against the government. However, No Place To Hide does acknowledge the UK’s Guardian newspaper that was instrumental in breaking the story.
It is an interesting read for all interested in privacy-related topics, particularly those who see the hypocrisy in the US condemning China for violating their citizens’ privacy.
 
Andy Harrop
 
The Girl Who Saved The King Of Sweden
Jonas Jonasson
HarperCollins Publishers
 
A follow-up to Jonas Jonasson’s 2012 debut bestseller, The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out Of A Window And Disappeared, this new novel, The Girl Who Saved The King Of Sweden, doesn’t disappoint in terms of being a frothy and funny page turner. It follows the story of Nombeko, a self-taught Soweto shantytown girl with a remarkable head for numbers.
The story begins in June 2007, when the King and Prime Minister of Sweden go missing at a Gala Dinner. It was said that they were taken ill, however, this is far from the truth.
The truth begins in 1961, when Nombeko was born. What follows is an account of her povertystricken upbringing leading to her eventual run in – or being run over, should we say – with an engineer who is working on South Africa’s nuclear programme. In the 1980s, South Africa made six nuclear missiles, however, Nombeko realises that seven nuclear missiles were actually made.
With this earthshattering knowledge, Nombeko goes on the run from the South African justice system and the world’s harshest secret service along with a ragtag crew of compatriots, including three Chinese sisters, a potato farmer and a set of twins who are officially registered as one person. The story eventually arrives back at 2007, where Nombeko finds herself in a potato truck with the King and Swedish Prime minister. A light-hearted tale about one, seemingly unimportant, person’s large impact on the world.
 
Andy Harrop
 
RECORDS
 
Behind The Light
Phillip Phillips
 
Phillip Phillips reunited with New York City producer Gregg Wattenburg to produce his latest album, Behind The Light. Debuting on the top charts, Phillips has once again proved his ability to produce popular hits that resonate with audiences across the globe. From the heavy beat in “Trigger” to the familiar tune of “Searchlight”, Phillips delivers a masterful performance for his second studio album.
Throaty vocals blend with heavy beats and layered guitars in every track. It has a rougher, more mature sound in comparison to his first album in 2012. Behind The Light is an experience. Instead of focusing on creating hit singles, Phillips has opted to produce an album that has an overall effect on its audience. The jam-oriented rock album features a list of songs that create a fuller, broader result. Influential elements of Mumford & Sons and The Lumineers are evident in Phillips’ vocals and the underlying folk beat.
Phillips’ ease of delivery is enviable as he effortlessly vocalises harmonies and glides over melodies. His deep voice draws the audience into a complex world, created by meaningful lyrics that fans have been waiting for.
For over a year, Phillips had been announcing that he was “always working” in the studio for his new album. With completed production, Behind The Light promises not to disappoint fans. In fact, Phillips may have earned himself a few more listeners.
 
Chelsea Wells
 
Xscape
Michael Jackson
 
The King of Pop has returned (again). Resurrected for the second time since his death in 2009, “Xscape” contemporises eight of Jackson’s previously unreleased recorded tracks. Timbaland leads a team of record producers to modernise and edit the music, while compiler, L.A. Reid, has managed the finalisation process. Michael Jackson’s voice is front and centre on every track. The electronic synth and dubbed beats blend to produce a chilling, exciting album that catapults the artist into the twenty-first century. Every track sets the dance floor ablaze and demands the attention of every listener. The record quickly claimed the No. 1 spot on the iTunes charts in 52 countries during its first week of release, and the predictions of increased sales with the record’s worldwide release have definitely been confirmed.
Reviews have been mixed. Many critics’ reviews praise the album’s collaborative efforts and the final product, claiming that Michael Jackson would be proud to have his name attached to such a production. Others, however, argue that these songs were kept away from the public for a reason and should remain that way. Regardless, the tracks have notably been successful in portraying Jackson’s style of music. Many say that you can see him dancing to the upbeat rhythms and beats.
Everything, even the album cover, emphasises Jackson’s return to the modern-day spotlight. This is a collaboration of tracks that will not lose popularity any time soon. After all, this is Michael Jackson who we are talking about.
 
Chelsea Wells