personal blog - onderhond.com

shamo/pou-soi cheang

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 15:09:35 +0200

Pou-soi cheang caught my attention after watching Dog Bite Dog. Shamo is his newest entry and has Cheang revisiting the darkest corners of the human soul, hidden below a layer of macho action. If anything, his latest is another confirmation of Cheang's enormous talent and will hopefully help him build up a solid reputation.

Shamo is an adaptation of a popular manga, following the life of Ryo, a ruthless and rash boy who has murdered both his parents and is sent to juvenile. There he becomes even more of an outcast and only manages to hold on through the karate lessons he gets inside from a fellow inmate. By the time he is released from juvenile Ryo is a wild animal ready to ravage everyone crossing his path.

Cheang's setting up a pretty bleak vision and only at the very end is Ryo's character given some humanity. This makes for a rather strange viewing, where the main protagonist is really a plain asshole not worthy of much sympathy. Luckily Shawn Yue put in a stellar performance as Ryo, drawing his character on screen with so much charisma that it's hardly a bother.

Cheang already proved himself as an audiovisual wonder, and he kindly continues his reputation in Shamo. The camera work is tense when it needs to be (mostly during the fights), lightning is exquisite and there's even time for some visual trickery (mostly when Ryo gets pounded into the ground).

Even more interesting is the way Cheang makes use of sounds and distortion to increase the tension in his films. This really improved the atmosphere in Dog Bite Dog and Shamo benefits from his experiences there. Crunchy distortions and split-second editing make for some really intense moments. The choice of music is sometimes a little questionable, but never feels out of place.

Shamo is a pretty rough film made from a pretty typical story outline, following films like Rocky and the likes. At least, at its very core, because the way Shamo plays is totally different, with a main character that's hardly one to cheer for and a lack of real stage battles and victories. The film only features two stage fights and both include some serious trashing for Ryo. This is not your typical came and conquer film.

Visually beautiful, strong use of sound and an unconventionally ruthless story. Cheang is a real talent and proves himself again after fabulous films like New Blood and Dog Bite Dog. Add to this the superb performance of Yue and some good supporting actors like Francis Ng and Ryo Ishibashi and you have a film that will please the fans of merciless action and general ass-kicking, but with a darker twist.

Sadly the trailer for the film is rather weak, but at least you'll know that the best bits are still to come. 4.5*/5.0*

vacation 2008/recharging the batteries

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:29:59 +0200

Well, it seemed to be taking forever, but vacation finally arrived. The next two weeks of my life will be fully dedicated to laziness, chilling and generally not working. Hear hear!

Sadly I'll be spending the first week all by myself, as my darling is still slaving away at her job. This means I'll be mostly restricted to slouching around town, watching movies and even clean up the house a bit. You might also see a few irregular updates, as the weather here remains sucky as hell and even left me with a nasty cold (in August, go figure).

I'll probably be responding to comments and might even be checking up on my mail from time to time, but don't be mad when I appear dead for longer than you expected. Then, when August 26th hits we are leaving this godforsaken anti-summer country. I will be a week away from everything that has to do with computers and the web, a very welcome change of scenery that I long for every year. We'll be hitting Zakynthos (a little Greek island) for about a week, after that it's back to our regular lives.

So don't worry if things quiet down here for the next two weeks, it's all normal. Regular activity will resume after that and the world will be back to its old self again. But I'm not thinking about that yet, for now it's all blue skies and silky beaches. Cheers!

vacation 2008/recharging the batteries

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:29:01 +0200

Well, it seemed to be taking forever, but vacation finally arrived. The next two weeks of my life will be fully dedicated to laziness, chilling and generally not working. Hear hear!

toy reanimator/hakubun

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:16:17 +0200

Why is it, in times of internet and mass communication, that so many awesome things still slip through the cracks? Toy Re-animator is such an example. A short Japanese fantasy tale about a toy repairman who can repair everything you bring him, as long as you tell him exactly in what state you want it returned. Based on a popular novel, director Hakubun tries his best to capture the mystical story without letting it slip into a true children's tale.

The concept of the film is pretty simple, with a mysterious (and somewhat distracted) toy repairman fixing everything he's brought. Sometimes parts get mixed and when live objects start finding their way to the toy repairman's doorstep things become interesting. The story develops itself in a pretty predictable way, but since the base idea is original enough this never becomes a real issue. The idea is neat enough to carry the film and little by little new bits of information are revealed to the viewer.

Visually, Toy Re-animator is a splendid film. The first half is pretty sweet, with many overexposed shots giving the film a very dreamy feel. Locations are pretty and detailed and reminded me of the earlier works of Jeunet, or even Kounen's Chaperon Rouge. There's also a lot of experimenting with fades and even some children's drawings to add some visual flair to the film.

Most notably though is the toy repairman itself, who is revealed halfway through the film. It's a bit hard to explain, but his appearance is almost impossible to grasp, as he keeps shifting and morphing. Whenever you feel like you get a grip on his figure, he starts to fade and blur again. A very special effect that really enhances the atmosphere of the film.

The soundtrack is decent, maybe little underwhelming but nice and soft. There are a few sparse moments where audio and visuals are blended to increase the effect of scenes, mostly pretty effective, but I guess they could've done a little more with that.

The film is nicely constructed, but it's the presentation that will convince you of the qualities of this film. It's a cute and interesting fantasy tale with a darker edge, never outstaying its welcome and leaving a fresh impression. The thing that sticks out the most is the incredible visualization of the toy repairman himself, one of the prettiest things I've seen in film this year.

Warmly recommended, if you can find this film that is. Sadly I have no trailer this time, I can only leave you with an encouraging 4.5*/5.0* and hope that it will be enough.

bunhongsin/yong-gyun kim

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 10:53:16 +0200

Somehow my dislike of Korean films has never had much influence on my appreciation of Korean horror. It's considered a part of the Asian suspense wave but at the same time it's substantially different from its neighboring countries. I never expect too much of these films, but watching Bunhongsin was actually a very welcome surprise. While the film remains well within the boundaries of the genre, it proved one of the best outings out there.

The thing that links most Asian horror films are the slender, pale ghosts with long, black hair draped in front of their faces. They aren't exactly lacking in Bunhongsin, but that's where the similarities end. While J-Horror often craves ugly ultra-realism and scares, their Korean counterparts are extremely stylized and fare on a solid dramatic base.

Underneath the horror lies a tale about adultery and the tough life of a single mother raising a young daughter, craving her dad. This core story is actually pretty well developed and receives its fair share of screen time. Above that lies a story about haunted shoes going after whoever tries to steal them from their rightful owner. And the curse itself is of course due to a tragic event in the past.

Like I said, if you've seen a few Korean horror films before, there's nothing that will shock or surprise you here. The films plays according to the genre rules and does little to cross those artificial boundaries. On the other hand, that's exactly why it'll be called a true genre film in 20 years time.

So why all the fuss? Well, even though there are some small hick-ups, the presentation of the film is seemingly perfect. Visually the film is nothing less than impressive. The use of lighting is magnificent, with lots of flashing lights, toned-down colors, neon lighting and a Doyle-like choice of scenery, making this a very colorful film while remaining its dark edge.

Shots and framing are equally strong, with many strong images resulting in memorable scenes. The music is just as impressive, with many different choices of music, all of them suiting the scenes they are set to, always improving the intended atmosphere. The only critique lies in the editing, which could've been a bit tighter, and the range of styles and effects applied, making the style of the film a little too chaotic. But those are really just minor quirks.

One thing to keep in mind is that Bunhongsin isn't exactly the most scary film out there. Maybe it's because I'm used to this kind of horror film by now, but don't expect many scares or extreme suspense. The tension is held well and the atmosphere is spot on, but Bunhongsin is probably better described as a tense supernatural thriller than a real horror movie. Not that it matters much, but it's often good to approach films like these with the correct expectations.

The ending is pretty cool (especially the short second ending), the film never bores, remains beautiful throughout and is just plain good at everything it tries and does. So if you're looking for an excellent genre film, Bunhongsin is probably a very good bet. Lush visuals, pretty score and a good solid story to drag you through the slower parts. Very nice surprise indeed. 4.0*/5.0*

Don't forget to check out the trailer of the film.

the wall-passer/hung hung

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 10:45:36 +0200

The Wall-Passer is the type of film that passes you by if you blink. Blink again and you'll have forgotten all about this film. Which is a real shame, because underneath its inconspicuous facade and marketing there's a genuine tour de force waiting to be discovered. Lucky for me, I didn't blink and decided to try this one out.

I ran into this film by chance, and even though it didn't really attract my attention at first I somehow got to watching it anyway. I do like Taiwanese films, still I often limit myself to the bigger names. I'd never heard of Hung Hung, but since he worked with Edward Yang before, he's not what you'd call totally unknown to the industry. He also directed a few films of his own, and even though I have no idea how they relate to The Wall-Passer, they skyrocketed on my scale of interest.

Apparently The Wall-Passer is a low-budget film, but that never shines through. From the beginning on the film looks and sounds absolutely lush. The story is set in the future, but rather than throwing in a lot of CG, Hung Hung opted to portray an ultra-modern world. He used lots of lighting effects, bright colors and modern architecture to create a crisp, clean vision of his future. Still, during the first half the film is still very much a Taiwanese prototype film, with lingering, precise shots and typical classical background music, following a blooming love story.

The second half of the film is different, with lots of pretty black and white visuals and some odd but compelling choices of music. This all melts together to create a pretty unique audiovisual experience, bordering on many influences from other Asian directors, but definitely creating a unique world of its own. It's also nice to see that the film doesn't cave in after halfway. Hung Hung keeps up his exquisite presentation throughout.

Most negative comments on the film (as far as you can find any comments) are aimed at the shift halfway through, and the meandering plot in general. After the halfway mark, the whole dynamic shifts as one character completely disappears and a new one is introduced. Suddenly the film gets an extra fantastical dimension and apart from the fact that we are still following the main character, this could just as well have been another film.

And even if you don't mind all that, it's still pretty hard to get really grounded in the film as the story takes place in a loosely defined future, but also plays and hints with fantastic and dreamlike elements. At the end, it's hard to grasp how much of the film was supposed to be "real" and how much was purely symbolic. Even though I understand the disappointment of people, for me personally it is something that made this film even better. The basic premise of the film might not be too challenging, but it's rare to see a film throw so many fresh elements into the mix, making The Wall-Passer a truly unique experience.

The film also has a pretty clever ending, wanting you to look back at the film and re-evaluate what you have just seen. It's not often that a film can still surprise me these days, and if only for that, The Wall-Passer is a splendid experience. Add some awesome visuals and some pretty weird but cool choice of music in the second half, and what you get is something that might leave you scratching your head (without being truly absurd or weird), but definitely feels fresh. Lovely film which comes highly recommended. Don't miss it if you run into it. It's hard to predict whether you'll like it, but the experience of watching it is interesting enough. 4.5*/5.0*

There's also a neat trailer of the film.

mario kart ds/new shell battle fun

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 13:08:15 +0200

When the original Mario Kart hit the SNES, it caused a fury. Never before had there been such a seamless mix of racing and on-track battling. People got together to play the multiplayer challenges, shooting each other down with shells. If you were all by yourself, you were probably chasing your own ghost on the time trials. It was the birth of an extremely successful franchise. In 2005, the game found its home on the DS.

It's been a while since I had the pleasure of playing a Mario Kart game. I kinda lost track of the gaming world after the SNES died, so I missed all the N64 and Cube fun. That said, not much has changed since the old days. For people like me who haven't been paying attention for the last 15 years, Mario Kart DS could just as well be Mario Kart 2.

The visual capabilities of the DS still need some getting used to. To me it remains pretty odd that such a little console can handle better graphics than my trusty old SNES. The game looks pretty good, although not very dashing. Bright colors, pretty funny kart designs and clear tracks. The screen itself isn't crowded with all kind of statistics, though it's quite surprising how much information is actually on there. One of the advantages of the second DS screen no doubt.

There are some cool additions to the gameplay, most notable the slide boost. It takes a while to get this into your fingers, but once you master it, you'll be leaving the competition behind you without much trouble. There are a few new battle tools too, pretty fun additions except for the blue shield, which makes it too easy to screw the first driver.

The original game had a few flaws when it came to the difficulty level of the competition, sadly this hasn't been resolved in the DS version. The championships never really feel like a battle between 8 drivers, since they all have their place and pretty much stay there unless you try to interfere. And once you get to the head of the pack, it's hard to leave the others behind. I know this helps the difficulty level of the game, but it still feels like a cheap solution.

It's nice to see some extra game modes added to the game, with the Mission Mode being the most interesting one. Surely adds to the longevity of the game. The other modes are back again too, with some cool time trial action and of course the championship modes. The retro cups are a fun addition (with tracks from previous installments of the Mario Kart franchise), though the newer tracks are definitely more fun to play.

Two-player mode is fun too, sadly when you only have one cartridge it will always pick the same tracks to play. It would've been better to pick some random tracks every time you sync. The game itself isn't too hard, though finishing everything with the highest rank will take you a couple of weeks. All in all, it's a very fun game to keep playing, especially since you'll be unlocking quite a few extra characters, cars and missions. And even when you have everything unlocked there's still the time trials to keep you busy.

It's a great update from the original game, though I have little to no idea how it compares to the installments in between. Sadly the problem with the difficulty level of the CPU drivers hasn't been fixed, it's the only thing that keeps me from giving a higher score. For those craving for some new Mario Kart action, it's pretty much a perfect sequel. 4.0*/5.0*

There's also a short but nifty trailer for the game.

vortex/ntt050 compilation

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:33:27 +0200

I haven't been listening to new music for a while, though that's slowly turning again. The new Entity release is partly responsible for that. It took a while, but ntt50 was most definitely worth the wait. ntt050 is one of their sparse compilation albums, featuring all new tracks by an impressive range of artists. Vortex, as the compilation was named, focuses on structured sounds and insane rhythms.

Vortex leaves the soundscapes and ambient atmosphere mostly behind itself and makes room for more structured and rhythmic sounds. With names like Hecq, Atomhead, Binray and Xanopticon featured on the album you should have a pretty good idea of what to expect. Apart from several big names there are some promising new entries too, hopefully hinting at what Entity might bring us in the months to come.

Hecq starts off the compilation with a more ambient-like track. None of that ethereal ambient stuff though, listening to Continuum and other ambient-related tracks on this albums feels more like walking through an ultramodern industrial plant, with bleeps, glitches and thumps layered over soft waves and faraway melodies. The PlanetZoo people take this concept one step further, resulting in a lovely journey through a mechanized world that lasts over 9 minutes.

Driving this concept to its limit are La Peste and Bogdan Dullsky, who both deliver heavily layered tracks, built on chaotic structures with loud, industrial sounds, but keeping it still within the ambient boundaries. From there on, the tracks slowly build to more glitchy and rhythmic realms. The ambient influence is still very much apparent in the CCP entry, but the glitches and chaotic rhythms are much more on the front of the track, making it a less that chill experience to listen to.

Atomhead's Rift, Sytriv and Subscan further explore the realms or glitchy rhythms and complex sounds, creating tracks that don't pound away but glitch by on a stream of endless samples and structures. Very cool music this, if you allow yourself to get lost in it. From there on structure mostly takes over. Both remaining Atomhead tracks might start of pretty chill, but know how to put on a daunting climax. Ishizzo introduces drilling basses (though not very loud ones) but shining here is newcomer Barbarix, combining beautiful waves with complex, pleasant rhythms and glitchy undertones. It might be one of the most accessible tracks on this compilation, it's also one of the best.

Sedarka and Binray crank up the pace even further, driving the insanity to a near climax. Banging bases, broken rhythms and loud samples combine themselves into one chaotic and powerful whole. Which leaves only Xanopticon to top this, and believe me, he delivers. A little less chaotic than his other tracks maybe, a tad more repetitive, but when the waves start floating, the basses start banging and the rhythms start trashing the track to shreds I can only be happy that artists like these exist. The final two minutes remind me of the Capacitd climax (from the Liminal Space album), adding layer upon layer of insane sounds. It's difficult to say how many times I've listened to the track in the last two weeks, but definitely one of the best tracks in years.

Entity has done it again. Excellent compilation album giving a selection of prime talents exploring the boundaries of rhythms and structures. There are no bad tracks on this albums, all artists excel and it's almost criminal to give out music like this for free. No doubt worth the download if you're into this kind of thing. 5.0*/5.0*

You can download the album for free on the Entity site, so don't hold back.

ms zune/buy an mp3 player, get the experience

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:09:07 +0200

I am not an Apple fan. At all. But still, I've been carrying an iPod for over 6 years, and I really liked the little thing. Sadly, it wasn't the same iPod I'd been carrying, and after my third one broke I was simply too pissed to spend 300+EUR on yet another pod that wouldn't even last me 2 years. So I looked at the competition and found there was next to none. Except for the Zune that is, Microsoft's alternative. It looked decent enough so I just went ahead and bought me one.

the good

I've been playing with it for about two weeks now and I'm pretty happy with the piece of hardware. It's pretty big but that just means you get a bigger screen, which is pretty nice. It handles well, though there's none of that fancy touch and rotate stuff. Real gadget freaks will probably be disappointed about this. The interface is pretty simple and even though there's no real on/off button, the 2-second press is a lot easier than the earlier 5-second squeeze juggle on the iPod.

Most notable is the Zune styling, which is pretty fresh and hip. The use of fonts is remarkable and the twirly graphics are pretty cool. The Zune itself looks nice enough too. You could argue that it will look pretty outdated in 4 or 5 years time, but even the slick, minimal design of the older iPods is pretty ugly compared to modern standards. I like the risk Microsoft took there.

I haven't been playing around with the pictures and video options that much, as I don't see any good reason to put them on my Zune. I use it to listen to music walking to work and back, watching pictures or movies might be dangerous doing such a thing in a busy city. The radio is fine for those people who actually listen to the radio, but not really my cup of tea either. At least it's nice to see it's all there, and it's done well.

One final interesting aspect of the Zune is its wireless sharing abilities. Sadly, I'm probably one of the only people in my country owning a Zune, so chances are quite slim I'll be putting it to good use. But beaming songs to each other sounds like a pretty nice idea to me.

the bad

Sadly, buying just a Zune is not an option. The Zune comes with an experience, and it sure is a painful one. The only way to get songs onto the device is by installing the Zune software. No alternatives, whatsoever. Imagine how pissed I was when I found out I was about 2 years of MS updates behind to actually be able to install the software. Various other problems popped up (low disk space, partitioning error, crashing IEs, etc etc) but after about 3 days I actually had it installed. So much for quickly throwing on some songs and heading out.

To be honest, installation on my work PC (which was fully updated) was a breeze, at least I got lucky there. Anyway, that's not all, because the Zune software isn't really made to transfer song to the Zune. Apparently MicroSoft mimicked Apple too much and made a new iTunes. It's a regular media library management tool, forcefully pushing you to rearrange and clean your whole media library to the whims of your software creator. Actually getting around that isn't as simple as it seems, so syncing (because that's what it does, it syncs, it doesn't transfer) between your hard disk and Zune is a damn tricky business.

Another point where Microsoft completely fails is in their policy to lock the Zune, ignoring its portable hard disk capabilities. Out of the box, the Zune can't be used as a portable hard disk. You can do some registry tricks to unlock it, but you still can't add files to your Zune. Actually getting stuff on there requires you to forcefully quit the Zune software while it's syncing. It works, but it's pretty annoying to work like that. No idea why they had to go and make it so hard for people to put some files on the damn thing.

the conclusion

Depending on what you think is important, the Zune is either a perfect buy or a complete waste of time and money. The Zune itself is ace, having a nice battery life, great screen and comfortable controls. The Zune software on the other hand is the worst piece of junk Microsoft ever produced. It will take you some time bypassing the bullshit, but once your there you can happily use your player without too much hassle.

It's a shame though that they finally produced a killer appliance, and decided to fuck it up again by putting up way too many (unnecessary) restraints. If the software doesn't bother you, buy a Zune. If it does, don't even think about trying.

the detective/oxide pang

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 15:51:44 +0200

When the Pang bros unleashed Gin Gwai (The Eye) onto the world, it seemed like they'd launched themselves. All that rests now is a mediocre Hollywood carreer and a lot of disgruntled fans. Unrightfully so, because in their homeland the Pang bros keep on making first-class films, beating even their first outings. Oxide Pang is undoubtedly the better of the two and I'm always eagerly awaiting his solo projects. The Detective (C+ Jing Taam) is his latest effort, and again it doesn't let down.

It's a shame that The Pangs are getting such a bad reputation, because they are great talents in a rather stale industry. The problem with both brothers is that their films are often built around atmosphere, with lots of attention to the visual aspect of the film. When watching a Pang film, you can be sure to expect beautifully lit visuals and snappy editing. This puts a strain on the story of their films, urging people to complain. Sad but true.

The Pangs are known for their visually accomplished films, but it's really Oxide Pang who's responsible for this. The Detective is a visual treat from the first second till the final frame. Each shot is considered well, use of color and lighting is impeccable and some very nifty editing tricks are applied. One scene in particular stands out, where quick zooms and multiple angle changes make for quite a novel effect. Hope to see this used more in films.

One thing where both brothers often fail is their choice of music. Luckily they seem to be turning this around in their latest films. That said, the lenghty opening of The Detective did scare me a bit. I dunno what kind of local music Oxide used, but it sure made for a very wacky effect. Not in a bad way mind, but I'm glad he didn't keep it up for the remainder of the film. There's one particular scene where the mood of the film switches and from there on the sound design is strong and brooding, enhancing the atmosphere as a soundtrack should.

The basic premise of The Detective is pretty simple and oddly lacking any supernatural motive, which makes for a nice change. Aaron Kwok plays a wet behind the ears detective stumbling on a case that's hiding its true face. His connections with the police force help him with his work but when he starts running into bodies he is advised to stop meddling with the case.

From there on, the plot thickens and Kwok is thrown into a nicely tailored tale of deceit and paranoia. Aaron Kwok is confident enough to throw a nice one-man show, the supporting actors are decent but never do much besides fulfilling their role in the story. The story of the film is pretty straight-forward for a Pang film, with pieces of the puzzle slowly emerging at regular intervals. All lose ends are neatly tied together at the end, so my guess is this film should fare well with the earlier Pang adepts.

Oxide Pang succeeds again in making a visual masterpiece, although less experimental and in your face as his other films. This time around, the story is more focused and the choice of music is a whole lot better. Aaron Kwok is a good lead and the whole films flies by in no time. It's a shame that the Pang bros seem to have lost their audiences, as they keep on making interesting, if not superb films. 4.0*/5.0*

Interested, check out the trailer.

secret/jay chou

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:05:57 +0200

I never heard of Jay Chou before, but simply based on this film alone he seems to be quite a talent. Secret is really his film, as he acts, directs, plays the piano and serves as singer/songwriter. That's a lot for a guy not even in his 30s. It's even more impressive how he manages to weave all his talents into a solid whole, easily defining a style of his own.

The core of Secret sounds pretty cliché, with Chou playing a pretty boy starting school and falling in love with the school's outcast. The first part of the film really doesn't go much behind its premise and doesn't intend to be anything more than a simple romantic drama. Luckily Chou is helped by good performances of the entire cast and some solid cinematography, which makes it all very easy to bear.

Apart from the love story there is a big musical angle too, resulting in a few nice scenes on the piano, the most interesting one being the piano battle between Chou and the school's biggest piano talent. It brings some fresh ideas to the film which at that time is really nothing more than a solid genre piece. It's of course also a good way for Chou to demonstrate his talents on the piano. And impressive it is.

The path for the film seems fixed after the first part, but Chou knows how to surprise. Halfway through he adds a magical twists to the story elevating the film above many of its peers. While at the same time it adds to the drama and sentiment, it never crosses the border of becoming a true melodrama as the fantastic elements keep the film from turning into a simple tearjerker.

This magical twists also allows Chou to play with the visuals some more, resulting in several beautifully shot and constructed scenes. In places, the CGi is a tad too intrusive but that is easily forgotten as it is never there just for visual kicks alone. The soundtrack remains pretty active and is not what you'd call subtle, but since it is integrated so well into the whole story it never becomes bothersome and Chou hits the rights notes time after time again.

It's nice to see so many things go right in a film like this. Visually Secret is solid and often stunning, the acting is equally solid and with Anthony Wong completing the cast you really can't go wrong. While the film starts of in pretty classical manner, halfway through it really blooms and turns into a very quirky and lovable genre film creating an impressive universe of its own. Chou really shines as a director in the second part of Secret, making me curious to any new output will see of him.

It's nice to see young talent like this thriving. As a whole, the films feels a tad poppy and maybe a bit too flimsy, apart from that it's one big solid romance with a pretty cool twist and a magnificent ending leaving you pretty fulfilled after the film has finished. 4.0*/5.0*

Interested, check out the trailer.

aquatopia/fun with fish

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:09:31 +0200

On the 21st of July, we celebrate the birth of our nation. This means most people get a day off and you can't do jack because most of the cool places to visit are closed. Luckily, there are a few exceptions, so we took the chance to visit one of the biggest city fishtanks in Europe (or so I've been told). Aquatopia is a nice place if you like to goggle at fish and related sea specimen.

Rather than talk about fish (and honestly, it's not that I can tell you interesting stuff about them, I just love the variety of forms and colors really), I'll share some of the pictures I've taken there. Sometimes it's fun to be a tourist in your own city. Enjoy!

a colorful bunch

fish train

exploring the corals

droopy-faced fish are cute

taking in too much air

as proud as a peacock

look like a horse, act like a monkey

emo-fish discovered

stealth mode on

sharks and other impressive fish

It's a fun place if you're visiting Antwerp and you've got an hour or two to spare. Entrance tickets are not exactly cheap but if you can afford it be sure to hop in sometime if you get the chance.

(h)onder(d)hond.com/100 posts jubilee

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 11:49:30 +0200

It's probably not smart making Dutch puns on a site which has an international audience, but I just couldn't resist. After 245 days of blogging, I finally added my 100th post. A nice milestone that deserves a little attention and reflection. It's also a good time to tell you something more about the whole Onderhond deal I guess.

I remember pretty well that right before starting my blog I read an article that mentioned half of the bloggers quit after the first 4 months. It actually frightened me a bit as I had really no idea what I was getting myself into. Luckily I survived those first 4 months (although I can understand why so many quit) and I'm still here to celebrate my 100th post.

Looking back at my articles I might not really be a true blogger either, as I do my best to write articles instead of blog posts. I've been thinking about removing the word "blog" from my site completely, but the alternatives I came up with never really related as much to the continuity of fresh content as the word "blog" does. I guess I'll just leave it be for now.

As for the whole Onderhond monicker thing, I know it was a strange decision to take a Dutch language url/monicker for a site with an international audience, but it's a nick that served me well on the net for over 8 years now. It's always and everywhere available too, and it's really too closely connected to my persona to simply neglect it. For those who are curious, onderhond is actually a Dutch transliteration of the word underdog (under = onder, dog = hond). And for the pun in the title, honderd = hundred. So nobody can complain about feeling left out.

Guess that's it for now, on to the next 100 posts! Though I'll probably reach my 1 year celebration before that. For me it's been worthwhile so far, hope it been the same for you.

island etudedd/ddhuai-en chen

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:25:12 +0200

When Huai-en Chen, famed for the cinematography of several Hsiao-hsien Hou films, made his movie the world of film took notice. Island Etude got the attention it craved until Ang Lee's "Lust, Caution" claimed the spotlights. Island Etude turned out to be Oscar nominee for Taiwan but by then the film had seemingly lost its momentum and is destined to fade into obscurity.

Huai-en Chen worked as a cinematographer on Hou's "Good Men, Good Women" and "Goodbye South, Goodbye". And even though I didn't know this when I started watching Island Etude, by the time I had finished the film somehow reminded me of older Hou films. Though in the end it is mostly the differences that struck me as interesting.

Island Etude is an extremely laid back film, avoiding dramatic events and any form of clear climax. The basic premise is simple, with a young student making a round trip of Taiwan by bike in seven days. His character is given as little background as necessary, his motivations for making the trip remain sketchy throughout. This never becomes an issue as the main characters is nothing more than a straw man for showing us something about modern day Taiwan.

More important are the places he visits and the people he meets. In that sense, this film is a typical road movie. The film is structured in 7 segments, each segment representing one day in the boy's travels. Apart from the beginning (which cuts in halfway the first day) and the ending (starting the first day) the film is also pretty classical in structure, so no surprises there.

Chen grants us a look into the world that is modern day Taiwan, which is were his film mostly differs from Hou's earlier work. There is time for tradition and history in Island Etude, but the film is also filled with modern technological and cultural references. The people met on the trip are diverse and all have something different and unique to bring to the picture. In between, Chen also has plenty of time to show off the better side of Taiwan with some very nice nature photography.

Visually, the film is excellent, which is to be expected. Chen knows how to frame his shots and makes sure to transfer the laid back feeling to his images without slowing the film down too much. The editor is a tad too eager at times but besides that the rhythm of the film is almost perfect. Sadly, the choice of music is not too daring but apart from one rather loud and obnoxious song fits the film well. I guess Chen could've done more in this department, as the music falls short in enforcing the same laid back feeling oozing from other elements within the film.

Island Etude walks the fragile edge of fake-doc, road movie and promo video but the balance never tilts to the wrong side. The people met on the journey are strangely realistic (and are often non-professional actors) and even though there's little drama and the back alley of Taiwan is nicely avoided the film never comes off as too pretentious or too pushy to actually be bothered by it.

Island Etude is a nice little film bearing little to no weak points, but never really excelling either. It does calm you down while watching and is able to keep the laid back feeling throughout the movie without ever becoming boring. A nice drama and fun to see a less historical view of Taiwan for a change. 4.0*/5.0*

As always, a trailer tells much more than any review can, so check it out.