The Wailing(곡성) Korean Film Thoughts

 

  "The Wailing" also known as Gokseong, is a 2016 South Korean film directed by critically acclaimed director Na Hong Jin(The Chaser, The Yellow Sea etc.) and stars Kwak Do Won, Wang Jung Min, and Chun Woo Hee. The film has received praise from many reviewers because of its relentless storytelling and cinematography.


  Gokseong is a country province located in the south Jeolla province near the end of the South Korean peninsula. Some locations close to the two are extremely hard to get to and the town itself seems almost isolated from everywhere else. Terrible murders starts happening in town and a police officer starts to investigate the killings only to find that a member of the murdered families showed traits of illness before death. Soon the illness infects his daughter and the police officer seeks the help of a shaman but the situation becomes worse.

  I wasn't sure where this film was going to lead me since I didn't watch the trailer or read anything about the film other than the synopsis. Another Korean film to add to my collect was all I truly cared about.  The thing thats always so freaky about Korean horror films is that the plot starts like the calm before the storm. Its a happy peaceful calm that makes you scared about whats to come. The first few scenes are of a father who lives a simple but happy life with his family. He's supper close with his daughter and they do many activities together but then weird events start happening. The descend of the conflict was a slow one as you the viewer can't predict what will happen next. There's too many different genre traits of horror, spirituality, and mystery just to name a few. You would think that you predicted the outcome them another layer got added to the already complexed plot. I'm not sure I still completely understand the plot but i'm an imaginative person so my mind tends to create fill in the blank answers to complexed stories I may not understand in full. The complexity wasn't even what bugged me the most. It was the plot's tendency to keep jumping from here to there while feeling like no questions were answered. I found me self talking out loud while watching and saying "what does this have to do with the central conflict??".  The film's conclusion will probably confuse some viewers but at least some of the questions I had were answered. Its just that some of the other content takes you off course from the truth quite a bit. The full truth isn't as shocking as THE PEICES OF THAT TRUTH.

   The shots for this film were absolutely beautiful and fit the film graciously.  I was mystified by the scenes that set up the story in the beginning and a few scenes during the mid way part of the film. Shots of the village and country life as a whole were nice to experience as well. I just kept thinking that I hope I don't get posted in a small village town like that for a teaching job. Living life like the people in this film would be interesting and scary too. I'm a city boy through and through too. The scenes that set up the film are shots of the river and forests surround it just as the sun rises. The sky is filled with a light purple that indicates that dawn has come. Later other scenes come of mountains filled with mist that could only happen after a humid rain shower. Different symbolism like the crows and the constant stormy weather helped set the stage for something sinister. Gokseong must be a place full of the traditional Korean way of life before all the western influence came into the culture. The town itself didn't have a supermarket or a hospital. Anytime an emergency happened, they town's people had to rush to the next town over. That must not be fun but you mange with what you have. Right?

   The actress who played the daughter should have received an award for her performance. Her acting alarmed me on so many levels from the beginning to the end of the film. She had an annoying personality where a child tries to know everything about adults instead of staying in their place. I would have told her to go somewhere and sit down a long time ago but I'm not in this film. Her attitude gets worse due to circumstances and her lines go from annoying to jaw dropping. Not to be mean, but this girl already looks scary because of her facial features but she looks worse in a crazed state. Kunimura Jun plays the Japanese man who lives deep in the woods a little ways off from the village. He brings a bilingual feel to the film with not being able to speak Korean. His scenes were done in Japanese with an actor who could also speak the language. I never like him when he suddenly appears in films because when he does this, he's never up to any good. Everyone else acted well but these two stood out to me the most.

  "The Wailing" wasn't as scary as I though it was going to be. I will say that the film is relentless at being stone cold heartless. Do not watch this film if you except to view something that will make you feel good. You will not walk away from this film feeling great. It's the polar opposite. I didn't finish feeling too happy but I did enjoy the fact that it was realistic in terms of a father's love for his daughter. Life can't be happy all the time and you have to deal with this if you want to keep living.


**** THIS FILM CONTAINS GRAPHIC SCENES OF VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL ACTION. PLEASE DO NOT VIEW IF YOUR UNDER THE AGE OF EIGHTEEN. THANK YOU***

Akiba's Trip: Undead & Undressed(アキバズトリップ2) Japanese Game Thoughts(PS Vita)

  I became interested in this game mostly because another game called Akiba's Beat will be released state side soon and I wanted to become a little familiar with the Akiba Festa series before then. I had passed this game on numerous occasion in my local Gamestop but wasn't interested enough to buy it. When I finally decided I wanted to check out this game, the developer stopped releasing it new so I had to settle for a used copy. I didn't care too much because this was the PS Vita version and I need to play something until the second Legend of Heroes game came out. The game is known as "Akiba's Trip: Undead & Undressed" to American audiences but the title was renamed from "Akiba Trip 2" in Japanese. I'm guessing there was a game before this one since the reception for this game did very well in Japan while foreign players had mixed reviews. The game was created by ACQUIRE.

  The game's plot can be so simple that the player would forget that there was one if the player didn't need to advance the story to move on. You basically meet a girl who turns you into a vampire that can't stand sunlight. You can live without dying as long as your clothes don't get ripped off your body. There are also evil version of vampires who want to take over your home city of Akiba, Japan so you team up with your Otaku buddies to form the Freedom Fighter's where you guys go around ripping off peoples clothes to kill your enemies. A game can't get any more perverted and weirder than that.

  The game has the option to chooses English or Japanese audio and create your character name. He doesn't actually talk but you get situations where different answer choices will come up and you have to choose your answer. Bear in mind that at a certain point in the game your answers will count toward how close you get the one of the female characters and the game ending you get. The dialogue art catches the eye with it's anime liveliness and added emotion of each character. The interaction are fun at some moments and boring at others. An option to put these scenes on auto is available too. The story has no substance what so ever so you could put the game on auto and mindlessly half ass pay attention to whats going one without missing a thing. The aim is to go out and explore Akiba, complete side missions if you want, shop with the money you get from the side missions, and, strip strip STRIP! Anyone is up for the picking so if you see clothes or a weapon that a passerby has on that you want, no problem. Start a fight with them and strip them. Not everyone will fight back though. Some people run away too. Akiba looks like it was sucked up and thrown in a game. For a person who has never been to Japan like me, This was a nice sightseeing experience and one of the best parts about this game. You literally have fun just moving around while taking in all the sights. The insides of the stores are done in anime style also for a youthful touch. It was funny to see the store clerks act very Japanese in the way they greet and say farewell to you as the customer. One cultural aspect that American couldn't gloss over even with the overdub.

  The gameplay uses the X, O, and Triangle buttons during combat. You get the option to equip yourself with all kinds of clothes such as hats, headphones, glasses, pants, shirts, shoes for protection. Crossdressing is an option too has your character can wear female clothes if you beat a certain side mission. One female character from the freedom fighter group also has the option to patrol the streets with you when you leave the hideout. Your partner aids you in battle to strip your enemies but they can also get stripped so be sure to help them out too. Devastating tag team attacks also become available when you or your partner does enough damage. The whole sequence makes me laugh inside because they doing all that just to rip off some clothes. Stripping the clothes of your enemies solely depend on the damage you inflict and the timing of holding down one of three button I mentioned above. The button you push depends on the article of clothing you want to rip off. At this point, the gameplay becomes clumsy because if your not facing the right angle then you'll miss and leave yourself wide open for an attack. Sometimes the camera angle blinded during a battle. I found myself just hitting the X button hoping that I was landing hits.

  Once you get the hang of the battle system, the game becomes smooth sailing from there. The most frustrating experience I had was trying to get to a new areas as there was no directions on how to get to these places. I ended up googling how to get to where I need to go because stripping random people began to get old. No to mention that not all the people you strip are Vampires. Humans gets stripped constantly too until you get a camera that tells humans and vampires apart. After this humans are still fair game but be aware of the police. Your ass will get handed to you if you try to attack the police. They aren't playing with you. Boss battles are more challenging but not by much. The game slips by fast when you only focus on the story and leave the side missions alone.

  "Akiba's Trip" replay value is pretty high especially after you beat the game the first time. I just won't be the one revisiting Akiba because the plot made me kill a few of my brain cells. Otaku guys(or any guy) will like this game because everything focuses more on the fan service of women striped down to their panties.( I don't care but another might...) My goal was to beat the game once then put it down and as of today that mission was accomplished. The ending I received made me happy since I ended up with the main female character and the ending was really sweet. A  game contain a dull story with a rewarding ending is better than a complete trashy game on all accounts.


***PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS GAME IS RATED M FOR MATURE. DO NOT PLAY THIS GAME IF YOU ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 18. THE CONTENT IS NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN. THANK YOU***

BTS(방탄소년단) - WINGS Album Thoughts(Kpop)

Track List:
01. Intro : Boy Meets Evil
02. 피 땀 눈물 (Blood Sweat & Tears) *Title
03. Begin
04. Lie
05. Stigma
06. First Love
07. Reflection
08. MAMA
09. Awake
10. Lost
11. BTS Cypher 4
12. Am I Wrong
13. 21세기 소녀
14. 둘! 셋! (그래도 좋은 날이 더 많기를)
15. Interlude : Wings

    BTS is one of the few bands that this retired kpop fan still listens too every now and then. There's something about these boy that keeps people on edge when they release a new album. I'm not sure if its Rap Monster's powerful vocals while rapping or the boys willingness to carve their own path in the Korean music industry. They might be Kpop idols who have to maintain a certain image but none messes with their musical artistry. Their current album "WINGS" tells of the boys hardships and perseverance.


   I'm not a fan of the title track, "Blood, Sweat, and Tears" just because its a track that relies more on the awesome beat than vocal presence. The lyrics are powerful with the boys telling there personal story of being knocked down and finding the strength to stand up again. The other tracks have each member singing solo to share their own personal stories. I'm not sure which member sings what track and honestly don't care to know. That time of me learning kpop boyband names and having a bias are over for me. I only know Rap Monster because he seems to be the member who does a lot of solo projects. He's also a fantastic rapper. I also remember Suga and Jimin just from when I use to care about that stuff. I really enjoyed tracks where the boys seemed to show growth like "Begin". Such a fun song with a strong meaning a great production to back it up. The lyrics about the boys having each other's back and that causing one to work harder are personal feelings that get be be shared with their fans. The part when the singer sings "You make me begin" makes my heart melt because its so sweet. Another fact about this album is it isn't just Hip-Hop or Rap. The boys are letting out all the emotions the had held in for such a long time. I heard Pop, Ballad, Rap, RnB, and Jazz but these styles aren't there to make the boys look cool. They do used these music genre to appeal to a large audience but BTS never toned down the issues they wanted to write about. This what makes them controversial artists. Kpop idols are expected to sing about very specific topics while dying their hair and putting on eyeliner. BTS will do all these things and still sing a song that breaks the rules of what a Kpop idol should sing about."Reflection" is Rap monster's solo track that talks about a war with himself. He raps, "I wish I could love myself" as a indicator that he's human and has insecurities like everyone else. "BTS Cypher 4" could be a part 2 to "Reflection" as Rap Monster seems more confident here along with the rest of the boys. They uplift their listeners with the anthem's lyrics,"I LOVE I LOVE I LOVE MYSELF!"I started head banging so hard as soon as I heard the beat then the first rap line. More reasons to love these boys even though I'm not a Kpop fan. Their music style is one that could live in the Korean indie music scene and not be frowned upon as fake plastic idol music. Rap Monster plays a lot into BTS having this role of being on the borderline between what is an idol and what is an underground artist. He knows what its like to be an underground rapper who doesn't get the chance to have his music heard by a lot of people. So he cashed in an became an idol. Now millions of people around the world know his name because he took the steps to get his talent heard. I commend him for not losing his soul to trying to be popular and trying to please everyone as an idol. Music is about self expression not dumbing yourself down to be someone your not. People will agree or disagree with what you have to say in your music but one thing to remember is your musical expression is YOURS. Music sounds the best when your honest heart contains it.

   Vocals for Suga and V improved so much after they did that reality show where BTS went to LA and were mentored by African American(black) artists. They needed to have that exposure of the origin of real Soul and Rap. These styles surely didn't come from Korea or Asia so they got a chance to experience what a lot of other wannabe Korean rappers only see through foreign media. I loved how the show's producers set them up to meet with vocalists and rappers who could give them a true understanding of the genres they love so much. Tracks such as "Awake" and "Lie" have these boys hitting notes that they had difficulty hitting in the early part of their careers. I noticed they worked really hard to level up their vocal game after the show was over and they returned to Korea. I'm impressed with the results and I hope they keep growing as vocalists. Rap Monster blows my mind all day everyday. He got the tone and flow to roll with the best of the best Rappers. His singing didn't get passed me either. I heard you brother.... BE THAT JACK OF ALL TRADES! All the others do well keeping up with him and holding their own during rap parts on the album. "First Love" shows that Rap Monster isn't the only one in BTS who can spit a rhyme.


  My cons are that the album can get a little too pop mainstream focused during some tracks. I know some reader is probably saying, "BUT THEY'RE A KPOP BAND!!". I know that but I like BTS because they have tracks in their discography that are nothing like the Kpop music thats out today. Those songs are the ones I tend to gravitate toward the most because the style is a breath of fresh air from all the clones in the Kpop industry.

  "WINGS" got everyone flying to the bathroom to get some tissue to wipe their eyes because the heartfelt lyrics in each track are too strong for all the fan girls and boys to take. I'm glad they stripped down(not literally fans, please don't faint on me...)  and went raw on emotion for this album. Kpop idols are not machines. They have feelings with stories to be told like you and me.

Omukae Death(お迎えデス) Japanese Drama Thoughts

   I finally finished the new drama that I said that I was watching a few posts ago. It was an on and off process for me but I decided to fully commit to making it to the end of this drama. The drama is know as "Omukae Death" and was directed by Nagumo Seiichi and Tsukamoto Renpei. I'm just finding this out now but the drama is also based off a manga that was created by Tanaka Meka. Fukushi Sota and Tsuchiya Tao return to the small screen respectively for "Omukae Death".


  The plot tells about the angel of death who runs around in a pink bunny suit trying to send all the wondering spirits to the afterlife. He seeks the help of a female student who can see ghosts. She one day finds a boy who can not only see ghost but is able to let them possess his body. A new bond forms as both of them team up to solve the cases of the spirits who can't pass on. They have a 49 day limit before each wondering spirit becomes evil.

   Everything about this drama seemed silly to me at first viewing. I didn't know what genre this drama was truly going for but I guessed comedy. The drama tries really hard to balance both on a thin string knowing that this thin string is going to break. I just couldn't take this drama seriously because every time a serious occurrence happened, The comedy element made the harshness fall of death ears. Each episode was well planned out with the characters meeting different spirits from all ways of life. A death god dressed in a hot pink bunny suit is too strong of an image to shake off.... The character's don''t even seem to take themselves seriously so why should I? The whole concept was a huge comedy showcase to the point that I almost quit watching. My actions had to do more with how I perceived what the drama was going to be compared to what it actually was. I pushed myself to watch the first episode then the next. By the second episode, the way the drama worked became more familiar to me so I began to put myself in it. Saving souls and the possession qualities in the drama saved the whole structure from falling flat. Episode 9 pulled out all the stops filling the drama's final with a well managed balance of emotion and comedy. Got to wonder why the whole drama wasn't written as well as episode 9. Our two main character's don't have a true understanding of themselves yet either and that makes for some awkward moments as well.

  Can somebody name a drama that has Sota starring in it where he isn't acting wacky? "Star man"was my first introduction to him and he played an alien. Yeah...... so you can only imagine the weird shenanigans that he was up to in that drama. Believe me.....(Covers eyes). Here he had to play nine different character's for each episode since there isn't an episode that where he doesn't get possessed. I loved watching him act as each person who possessed him. It was one of the best most interesting things about "Omukae Death". His actual character is a little annoying and brutally honest without meaning to be. Please don't let anyone get him started on explaining a subject. You would be listening to him all night. Sota can act. Lets hope he can get different types of roles in the future though. Tao plays the cute ruff tuff girl who is already set in her ways and has no plans to change. Both characters clash constantly in the beginning because she's used to riding solo then this boy comes along who can also see ghosts. She said, "AINT NOBODY GOT NO TIME FOR THAT!!!" She gave me life when she gives Sota's character the death stare that can stare daggers into anyone's skull. I think many viewers were rooting for a relationship to form between them but too many outside distractions were present in the beginning. Suzuki Ryohei plays the angel of death who is super enthusiastic about his job. That bunny suit had to have been hot during the filming process. Lets hope it wasn't summer cause I would have had to pray for him. Gosh, this guy can't get anymore adorable with his over dramatic acting. I'm smiling just remembering him and his dancing. The child actress, Hamada Kokone was super cute along side Ryohei as the angel of death's sidekick. People have raved about this little girl since she stared in 2013's "Oshin". Seeing her in this makes me want to go give "Oshin" a peek. Kadowaki Mugi also wasn't bad as the spirit who's friends with Tao's character. Her origins are shouted in mystery until......

  I don't have too much to say about the way this drama was shot nomore than the shaky camera that sometimes would occur during certain shots. I'm not sure why directors did this but it made me think of a reality show that has a cameraman who can't steady the camera. The shots on location were nice but nothing a Japanese drama watcher hasn't seen before. I really liked the grassy field shots.

  If your a fan of any of the actors or actresses in this drama then you should watch it but "Omukae Death" isn't amazing. You might get a good laugh here and there. Then you might also learn about the strong connection between people even in death but the best part of the show is the final episode where things take a left turn to explain the whole picture of whats going on. Suzuki Ryohei now has been added to my "favorite Japanese actors list".

SE7EN(세븐)- I AM SE7EN Mini Album Thoughts(K-RnB)

   It feels awkward labeling se7en Kpop after all thats happened to him over the last few years. I honestly thought that this man's career was over. He kind of did it to himself too so I don't feel sorry for him. BUT what did hurt me was that such a talented artist that has earned the love of millions of fans in South Korea and Japan would do something so stupid that all that he worked for almost ended in the blink of an eye. I won't go into the scandal here nor will I have discussions about it any farther. Fans don't need to defend him either because he's a grown man. Se7en persevered somehow and created his own record label while releasing a brand new mini album, "I AM SE7EN".

Track List:
01. ELEVEN9 (INTRO)
02. 잘자 (GOOD NIGHT) (Feat. REDDY) *Title
03. GIVE IT TO ME *Title
04. 5-6-7
05. 11:30 (Feat. MASTA WU)
06. 괜찮아 (I`M GOOD)
07. GIVE IT TO ME (Inst.)

   This album feels like he never left. Maybe because he has been teasing at a new album by releasing a single here and there. He also been in a stage play if I remember correctly. I did listen to one of the singles he released for the stage production of Phantom of the Opera and this dude was hitting notes like he was an unknown artists with something to prove to listeners. He might as we'll be starting over again since YG dumped him after he had been with them for years. Thankfully, his fanbase is still loyal to him and he still gets the chance to be on TV promoting the album.(He was a huge idol so some of that pull still remains.) He's Japanese single also did well on the Oricon charts which isn't too surprising. Japan doesn't care about what goes on in Korea anyway.  The "ELEVEN9(INTRO)" is se7en dressing what happened in a nut shell of a minute and eight seconds. At least we can hear that he's been studying english. He still sounds almost fluent like he did when he was trying to break into the American music industry. The stand out tracks for me would be "GIVE IT TO ME" and "I'm Good". "GIVE IT TO ME" could be him saying "IM BACK!!! LETS DANCE!!!!" The RnB mixed with the saxophone is so addictive that it gets in your body.  At first, I didn't know how I felt about the long dance break in the chorus since this style is use so often by other artists. The overall result works for the song though. Its very catchy and Se7en adds enough vocal input that he's not forgotten during the dance breaks. The same thing can't be said for "5-6-7. I'm not a sucker for the same trick twice. That beat sounds good but I'm here to listen to you sing not hear a beat play over and over again with no vocals. "11:30" might be that track that came out of the freedom se7en now has to produce the music he wants to. This tracks is very American down to the autotune, melody, and the lyrics. He's always sang about pleasing women by loving them the most. Can't say that I will be playing this track non stop but its good in the flow of the album. "I'M GOOD" has been a track that I liked from the beginning. I heard the Japanese version first which is really funny because when I was first introduced to se7en, his Japanese music was the music of his I heard first. The song is a chill track that might be a great to set the mood when your alone with your significant other. I'm happy that he still knows how to make attractive music after all these years.

  Those raspy smooth vocals still live!!! Se7en can make the panties drop fall off of most women with his vocals. One of qualities I love about this album is the tight melodies he and his background singers create together. Even during the track I don't care too much for, Se7en will thrown in a melodic vocal section thats stops me from pushing the skip button. I know this man is just getting started with the amazing things he's capable of accomplishing.

   "I AM SE7EN" is like a hit or miss for me. When I'm in the mood  to listen to him then I will. Otherwise this album doesn't cross my mind. The album is good but nowhere near the old music that made me want to keep pressing play all those years ago.

 

Like For Likes(좋아해줘) Korean Film Thoughts

   Directed by Park Hyeon Jin and staring Cho Ji-Woo, Lee Mi Yeon, Kim Joo Hyuk, Yoo ah in, Kang Hanul, and Esom, "Like for Likes" deals with the idea of social media forming human relationships. The film took third place in its opening week. No surprise looking at the cast of long time actors/actress and new generation ones who have also gained considerable popularity. This film was also actress, Choi Ji Woo's return to the big screen in a while. One can only wonder why she decided to comeback with this film.

  "Like for Likes" surrounds the lives of three couples who connect with each other. The couples consist of an actor, a screen writer, a flight attendant, a television producer, a music producer, and a nurse. Each couple has their own set of problems that are revealed and solved with the help of their significant other.


  The plot of this film confused me then it took me off guard a little bit. You would think that social media caused these couples to meet but thats not the case. Social mead is present in the film but it doesn't stand for the reason these couples meet. Chance circumstances along with history is the reason these couples have relationships with each other. I think the plot would have been stronger if all the couples had met because of social media. Also the presence of Facebook is more apparent in one couples story because of their main conflict. It helped move the story along with these two and the way Facebook was used in the conclusion to their story was very satisfying. Texting was used more than anything else unless I'm mistaken and they were using Facebook messenger. Otherwise, texting is not a from of social media. That just runs up your cell phone bill. Another couple had problems because their meeting was based on lies and the guy has hearing problems. He was supposed to be a producer but he lost his hearing after an accident. The whole situation is just sad and makes for great emotional viewing.

  The parts of the film that did use social media were interesting. It was relatable watching the actors and actress trying to put their best self out there on social media. We all do it and it can be fun but also kind of sad. Making friends and finding love online is realistic but flaws come with this action as well. People try too hard to please others and get likes. Soon your pretending to be someone your not. We as people who see other's feeds of them looking beautiful/handsome while going to different exciting places isn't their life all the time. We have to remember that like I said above, people are trying to put their best foot forward so people will only see the good things. Someone could be looking happy for a picture then after that picture is taken, they go back to having the worse time of their life. None knows what goes on behind closed doors so don't ever think that another is living the best life based on Facebook posts because social media is just a big attention seeking machine. You shouldn't need people to validate your life either. Anyway, characters in the film use Facebook to get dates and check on the one they have an interest in. I kept thinking that i need to go check to see what my privacy setting is set to on Facebook because I don't want people being able to see my feed and we are not friends. This situation happened in the film and it was cute for the film but super creepy in real life.

  Choi Ji Woo and Kim Joo-hyuk have a comical free spirited chemistry on screen that was fun to watch. They are the oldest couple in this film but they went the whole film without seeming like a couple at all. It was painful to watch for me. Both of them had too much pride to admit that feelings were there. Instead of the gushy romantic stuff we get Choi acting out her emotions in witty ways making you and the people in the film go "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" Her character can be very defiant but insecure at the same time. She always looks good dressed up because her body shape is tall and thin like a model. Kim Joo-Hyuk is like the big brother that always does things to you just to get on your nerves. He's all over the place but I loved how he was always there for Choi ji Woo's character. Kang Haneul made me feel too many emotions when he was really facing off with himself and his disability. He got emotional at one point that he didn't know if he should break down and cry or if he should just keep pretending that everything was alright. Watching him made me go grab some tissues because the water works were coming. I look ugly when I cry so we not going to even go there. Yoo ah can't get anymore talented as an actor. This role should have been like a walk in the park for him because he's played similar characters before. The actress he was paired up with seemed to be older than him by a few years and that help their chemistry a lot. They weren't on the best of terms and a big secret looms in the background that she wants to stay hidden. Social media never lets secrets stay hidden, now does it?

  Honestly, I didn't know if I would make it to the end of this film in the beginning. Not because the film was bad but because I couldn't get into the feel of the plot. So I decided to stop watching the film and come back latter when I gathered the energy to watch again without letting outside reasons affect my outlook of the overall film. Things pick up in the plot toward the middle then carry on to the conclusion for me. I can also see why the film was so popular in Korea. Its a great date night flick for young couples or singles who just want to see a simple romantic film. "Like For Likes" will make you wait for the juicy parts, laugh, cry, and go "aww". Be ready for a slow moving beginning though.

Khalil Fong(方大同) - JOURNEY TO THE WEST(西遊記) Album Thoughts(Mandopop)

Track
CD 1 - BLACK
01. 悟空
02. FLOW (方大同 / 王力宏)
03. 聽
04. 味道 (方大同 / Zion.T (瓇) / 沷 (Crush))
05. Ring Finger
06. NMW
07. 笑開
08. 夢蝴蝶
09. Love You So Much
10. 醉 (方大同 / 杭蓋樂隊)

CD 2 - GOLD
01. All Night (方大同 / 王詩安)
02. Right Girl
03. Run From Your Love
04. 煩
05. Once
06. 無所謂 (方大同 / 張靚穎)
07. 黑夜
08. 很不低調
09. 放不過自己
10. As I Do
11. 方大同 - 悟空2003demo

  We are back again with another Chinese artist thats been making listeners want to get grooving  with his music for years. He's know as Khalil Fong and he recently released his new album titled "JOURNEY TO THE WEST", the 9th album in his discography. Fong's diverse music style stems from his diverse background in which he was raised in. Being born in Hawaii then living back and forth between there, Shanghai and Gangzhou cause him to see the different sides to the world outside of Chinese life. His music ranges from soul/funk/hiphop/rap/pop/ with a hint of traditional chinese musical influence. Even to this day Fong's music continues to mold and inspire a new generation of musicians in China. "JOURNEY TO THE WEST"pays homage to the Chinese story of the monkey king, Sun Wukong; that Fong loved so much as a child. The titles also represents Fong's desire to merge music from places all over the world. 

  I religiously began listening to Khalil Fong's music after his Wonderland era. Some music videos came up in the suggestion box on youtube when I was watching Wang Lee Hom music videos. I'm always clicking on random videos and I'm glad that I did because Khalil is an artist that you don't want to pass up on. Soul melodies are what hooked me instantly. Then I sought out his latest album and the rest is written in the stars. "JOURNEY TO THE WEST" got me wondering what this album was going to be about. Fong hopped record labels not one but two times before finally establishing his own label. The track "FLOW" was released some time later as a single. My mind was blown because I'm a HUGE Wang Lee Hom fan and this collaboration was too much for my mind to take in. "FLOW" seems like a track that isn't Khalil's or Lee Hom's; just a track that they both could perform solo. Its hard to tell who is who according to vocals because both singers do a such a good job harmonizing together. beginning with a traditional Chinese sound that plays all the way through the track in the background as a hip hop beat is layered over top of it. Electric Guitars that come in during the middle of the track are genius. It like an orchestra that brings out the track at maximum strength. Fong also hires quite a few female singers to feature on the album along with Korean indie singers Zion T and Crush. The album comes as a double disc where black is more modern style and Gold is a laid back older feel. I listened to both discs together without stopping and I honestly couldn't tell the difference between the music style concepts for both discs. The whole product just feels like a normal Khalil Fong album with a few nips and tucks here and there. "JOURNEY TO THE WEST" really sounds like an old school motown record only it was recorded by an asian guy. If Steve Wonder got a chance to hear the GOLD side of the album, I'm sure he would have plopped Fong right up on stage with him to sing a duet.(If this hasn't already happened.) This disc can't be anymore heartfelt and emotional than it already is. Fong takes what he has already mastered as an artist and crafted it some more to create RnB ballads that contain lyrics for the heart. He definitely can write some great lyrics that speak about world unity and the steps you take in life to achieve happiness. One new trait that I notice about his lyrics is that they seem to touch more sensual topics. Tracks like "Ring Finger" talks about a man who is married while lusting after another women. "Once" stands out lyrically and style wise with Fong getting aid from a choir as he sings about only having one chance to spread love to another. No matter their race or if you know them or not. This track spoke volumes to me as I believe love to be a universal concept. Other production of the album had Fong pulling out all the tricks to differ his music from everyone else. I love that he tried to feature different instrumental sounds like Guitars, Violins, Piano, and we can forget that he knows how to DROP THAT DAMN BEAT! The BLACK part of the album is a great representation of this. I started the album sitting down but was doing the two step around the house by the time the album was almost finished. My biggest problem with this album was that some tracks sound similar to each other because of tracks with similar styles being so close to each other. A few tracks felt like one big track and I didn't even know that a new song had started playing until I looked at the title. I'm also not a big fans of his ballads with a few exceptions of course. They sound too similar in melody for me.

   Khalil Fong sings like he was born outside of China. I can tell most of the time when a singer was born else where either by the way their music sounds and their accent while speaking Chinese.(Lee Hom had a problem with this some years ago.) Fong got soul! I'm not talking about that fake soul that people try to have by listening to a lot of Soul/RnB music. He genuinely has soul in his genes like he ate a black person. Soul is a music form that African Americans(black people) gave to this world willingly and unwillingly. It was originally create out of our suppression as a way to express our feelings for freedom as human beings. Rap/Hip-hop/Funk etc also fall into this same category. The whole feel is about where your heart is when your singing. Many people think its about singing a lot of vocal runs at the right time but your wrong. You sing vocal runs when you FEEL it not because you think it sounds cool. Fong gives me the impression that he loves RnB Funk Soul and he understands the history of where this music came from. There's a respect and to top it all off he's using soul to promote world unity, something Martin Luther King and the civil rights leaders wanted for this world. Everyone to have equal rights regardless of the color of their skin. The way he sings is just has this swagger grove to it that makes me think "This guy is the man." 

"JOURNEY TO THE WEST" took Khalil Fong two years to complete. With 21 tracks altogether, you know fans should be more than please with the new variety of songs. It was amazing how four different languages made an appearance on this album without upsetting the balance. I'm so proud of him for standing up for his own artistic vision and I wish him luck with his dream. Now to find a way to see him in concert one of these days.......