Reviews Written by Hisashi
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September 8, 2006
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September 8, 2006
Global Communication - A Failure from Glay in 2001
Pros: Nothing !
Cons: Not much impressive !
GLAY's single, "GLOBAL COMMUNICATION", was recorded in New York for some reason. The song is nothing to get real excited about. Though some of the guitar riffs can be enjoyable, as is true of many GLAY songs, expect them to become repetitive and annoying quickly. Also expect the lyrics, "One love communication... miseducation," to be repeated many, many times. If you think you can stomach it, then you shouldn't have many other complaints about the song. It seems like their hearts were in the right place with this one -- it has the groundwork of a fairly good song; it just becomes repetitive very quickly, with little variance. CD Japan calls it a "concept single". Is that supposed to mean that the band is just messing around this time and this one doesn't count? Also included on track 2 of the single, keeping with the New York theme, is a song called "GOOD MORNING N.Y.C". The very idea to begin with is kind of a dorky concept, but it gets worse. Teru introduces a more rough, soulful vocal style in this song, which sort of works, but it sounds more like a parody of something heard many times before than anything else. And what's the deal with the backup singing from the other members? Didn't anyone ever tell them that their "hoo-hoo"-ing isn't cool, nor does it sound good? That definitely needs some work. This is one of their more wild and messy songs, kind of like "ROCK ICON" on the MERMAID single, but to a lesser extreme. There are lots of stray sound effects and scratching to supplement this chaotic style. This song kind of rocks in a half-glay-half-retro style, picking up old soulful rock elements that were probably better left forgotten. You can sort of enjoy it, but the song is stupid at the same time. The "Let's! EAR KOPI Version" of "GLOBAL COMMUNICATION" is just their fancy way of saying "instrumental"
;. GLAY has unfortunately developed a hit-or-miss reputation for their works in the more recent years, and that is woefully apparent in this single. The idea behind this single in itself seemed potentially cool, but the potential was all but wasted. Big GLAY fans probably won't mind having this CD around, but it is not recommended for most folks. ... -
September 8, 2006
X [Japan]'s Best DVD -
Pros: Fantastic quality of video, sound and content
Cons: Very lack of extra features
For your viewing pleasure, 8 of the greatest music videos by hyper influential rock band X [Japan] are now available for the first time on DVD in the U.S.A. But for Asian fans, it was released for a long time ago under the name 'X Clips' with just a little change. X [Japan] "Best" features 8 songs by this premiere rock band on one DVD: "X", "Kurenai", "Endless Rain", "Week End", "Celebration"
, "Silent Jealousy", "Joker", "Say Anything". X may be gone, but their legacy lives on with X [Japan] "Best" ! The music videos fall into two categories, emotional and concert. The "music" videos are full of powerful feelings and images. Everything from suicide to pre-teen rebellion are shown in intense, and occasionally graphic detail. With the concert videos, you can see why X [Japan] is so beloved. They really knew how to excite the crowd. With their hard guitar riffs and pile driver beats, their energy leaps from the screen. X [Japan] was one of, if not the greatest influence in the world of J-rock. From Glay, to Malice Mizer, every power group in Japan is indebted to these pioneers. X [Japan] was the first "beautiful young man" group to hit the rock scene. The intensity in their music was unparallel and they blazed a path through rock and roll that few have matched. Thanks to Tofu Records, old and new fans can experience the wonder, excitement, and power that is X[Japan]. I think you will find the DVD satisfying with fantastic video quality. There is nary a pixel, color bleed, or wrinkle to be found. Beside that is some kicking sound on the 2.0 LPCM (Linear Pulse Code Modulation) audio track. It has good directionality, with the vocals coming from the front speakers, and the music from behind. But as the CD is part of the set, I really don't count it as an extra. We do get an insert with Romanji lyrics, but that doesn't do us a lot of good, unless we are doing karaoke. Unluckily, I hate doing karaoke ! ...
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A movie that could blow you away
Pros: Superb movie, contains much of extra features
Cons: Nothing !
I've watched a lot of Korean movies and this movie has been one of my favorite so far. Between the years of 1986 and 1991, a small village in Korea's Gyeonggi Province was witness to the rape and murder of 10 women, all in the same groteque and brutal manner. Korea had never before experienced serial murders of this kind, and an intense media frenzy and police investigation followed. As the murders continued to take place over the years, investigators grew more desperate, at one point even consulting a shaman who advised them to move the gate of the police station to a more favorable location (which they did, to no avail). Ultimately all their efforts would be in vain, and to this day nobody knows who the murderer was or whether he is still alive. Bong Joon-ho, the talented director who debuted in 2000 with 'Barking Dogs Never Bite', who would be charged with the task. Bong took the stage play of this event and, consulting historical documents, wrote a screenplay focusing on two of the police investigators. Bong's primary addition to the material was to highlight the era in which the murders took place -- a time in which the Korean populace was struggling to shake off its authoritarian and militaristic past. The end result is a masterfully directed, superbly acted film which is at turns blackly humorous, thought-provoking, and horrifying. The film stars top actor Song Kang-ho (JSA) and Kim Sang-kyung (Turning Gate) as two investigators, the former a local policeman and the latter a detective who comes from Seoul to assist in the case. The first part of the film focuses on the two men's characters and the rivalry that builds between them. As time passes, however, the narrative becomes more complex, as our leads begin to transform under pressure and as we see references to the social situation in Korea at the time, when the government was too busy suppressing its own citizens to put resources into a proper investigation.The DVD release has been given the standard Palm treatment. The transfer is strong and presented in anamorphic widescreen. The film is presented with both the original Korean language track in 2.0 stereo and an English dub in both 2.0 and 5.1. The English subtitles are solid, clearly translated and easy to read. The disc also includes a reel of cast and crew interviews discussing their characters and the creation of the film as well as an extensive reel of deleted scenes. Memories of Murder is a minor masterpiece, a film that moved Bong immediately onto Korea's A-list of directing talent. It is richly detailed, beautifully performed and disturbing in precisely the way that people need to be disturbed in from time to time. Don't miss it!!! ...