The Captain(中国机长) Chinese Film Thoughts

  Dubbed as China's Captain Sully,  The Captain is a 2019 film that was directed Andrew Lau and stars beloved veteran after Zhan Hanyu along side, Li Xian, Jiang Du, Zhang Tian, Li Qin, and Oho Ou. Many other people also make cameo appearances. The film sold about a billion dollars in Chinese Yuan by the end of it's box office run in China.

   The film is based loosely off the Sichuan Airlines Flight 8633 incident where the plane had to make an emergency landing after the planes windshield shattered. The Captain had to fly the plane until there was safe place to land. None on board was injured.






    This film known as The Captain pretty much glorifies the real life man who landed flight 8633. The firs half of the film gives you introduction to a lot of the characters based on the real staff who were on the flight during the incident. One might find slow introductions at the start of every disaster film to be a bit boring but they're necessary to give viewers a reason to care about the characters. Our Captain gets a good amount of background detail too, as the script makes sure to highlight his wife and daughter who wait for him to return. Scenes then take viewers on a lesson about how a plane is preparing for take off. You even get an behind the scenes look at the people who most passengers don't get to see. There's a many of eyes that have to make sure we have a problem free trip. I found these scenes interesting before the spark starts slowly sliding up the rope to explode. Believe me, when everything hits the fan, MOUTHS HANG OPEN. A good amount of actions takes place that does a wonderful job making you gasp. Some more terror even happens after you think that the worse part is over. I did feel that the disaster section still was too short, however, you get enough to justify a good viewing experience. One part of the action wasn't believable to me and I had to wonder if that really happened during the real incident but it was still a fun watch nether less. I wouldn't say that the film suffers from a large douse of heroism, Instead the film tries to create hope through the passengers's faith in a Captain who they don't know personally. This is something to think about in retrospect to how all of us board airplanes every single day(Well.. not right now due to Coronavirus) while not thinking much about how we are putting our lives in the hands of the Captain flying the plane. I wonder how many of us actually thank these men and women who take us around the world daily. The Captain isn't any worse or better than all the other airplane disaster films out there. It does the job for those looking for an exhilarating cinema experience. However heavy handed on the heroism this film might be. I'm sure the real life captain blushed while watching him being portrayed as a cool guy.

    All their performances were one and the same. None stood out for an award winning performance but the cast get the job done in their roles. At least I felt something in their time of terror. Each cast member's acting stood out enough that I could tell that each person on the plane had their own personality and their own set of problems causing a emotional connection for viewers.

   The Captain is a film that I would feel comfortable recommending to people who need a good something to pass the time. Films exciting enough to fight off boredom are always the most straightforward.

The Ten Loves of Nishino(ニシノユキヒコの恋と冒険) Japanese Novel Thoughts

  The Ten Loves of Nishino is a romantic fantasy fiction novel written by Hiromi Kawakami and originally released in 2003 for Japan. The English translated version was released last year along with Kawakami's other short stories releases. Kawamkami is known in Japan for her own special take on literature writing style in fiction writing while adding a hint of mystical fantasy. Her works have been translated into numerous languages. There seems to be a live action film version of this novel as well.



   Ten women tell their stories as they encounter a man named Nishino. He's a man of unknown origin by some but most women can't resist him. Do any of these women get a happy ending to their love?

   This novel isn't very long so you might be able to finish it in a day if you just sit around reading. Most people don't have much to do except be in the house nowadays anyways. Each chapter comes from a different woman's point of view. Each women has a different personalities that affects the way they view Nishino. While Nishino himself is a very flawed character as you find out from the pieces of information given through their points of views. Dysfunctional communication cause conflict for most of the females based on them seeing Nishino as this perfect man. He's far from living up to what each of these women want him to be. Kawakami's writing style has the character taking on mystical traits like a being that charms women but is also otherworldly in many of the females's eyes. Nishino's story begins in foreshadowing forcing the reader to have an idea where this man fate lies. Still, he still has a live where he touches ten women. In a way, his life lives on in these ten women who aren't likable but you can see why Nishino himself who something in them. He himself was looking for a one and only love in multiple women who saw Nishino as no more than a project. He could be seen as a playboy too or that could be the image the ten women projected on to him. The women who were head strong had the most interesting point of view. Then many of the others were just annoying because they're wants weren't always manageable considering having interaction with a man who can never plainly say the status of their relationship. Just doing actions without putting a lable on what you and another person are will always lead to confusion. Due to this, sometimes I rooted for Nishino and other times I rooted for the women he was currently  "seeing".  The Ten Loves of Nishino was an overall thought provoking read. These stories really prove that selfishness can be contagious.

Shou Lou(婁峻碩) - BOARDING Mini Album Thoughts(Mando-rap/pop)

 

   Shou Lou(Lou Jun Shou) is a rapper that seems to be on his underground Hip Hop game on Youtube and in other areas. He seems to be in the same crew as another rapper, OSN: who also rose in popularity online. I knew that if he was anything like OSN, that I would take a liking to him. The rapper has released two EPS with Boarding being his newest body of work.

Track List:

1.        AIRPLANE.ft. T.I.G              
2.        BLUE SKY              
3.        COLORFUL              
4.        SOFA              
5.        80. ft. 高爾宣OSN              
6.        STAY BYE              
7.        NEVER LAND

  Boarding is a very traditional rap record down at it's core. You might get a bit of camouflage that come from the track called Colorful. I was introduced to Shou through this track's music video so I had an expectation that most of the album would fall in line to a certain sound. Colorful is a pop rap track that's gutter reminds you of deciding to stop at a coffeeshop while in the middle of a journey. Semi beats hit at a mid tempo under the guitar stringing that gives the track a lively vibe. These mechanics also make the track become the black sheep among the other numbers in Boarding. I believe Colorful was created to satisfy a certain listener who doesn't like hardcore Rap but will try it out if there's elements conforming to Pop music mainstream appeal. Nothing else on the album conforms to Pop like Colorful does so I understand giving the track a music video. Stay Bye goes into an RnB style challenging Lou to sing a bit again. Still, the track lands more in a Hip Hop spectrum that gives more focus to Rap which seems to be a form of personal storytelling for the rapper. All throughout Boarding has some kind of message to be a better you even when other might say that you never can. 80 is probably the most hype song on the whole EP. OSN jumps on the track and …. HE HAD TIME TO LIGHT FIRE TO EVERY DAMN THING. He showed a new side to him…. I mean- I know that he can rap real well but he's very borderline sappy pop in his own music, so I wasn't expecting him to go buck here. Boy was I surprised when he started his verse. Never land's lyrics: "Mama told me I could be the Petter pan". gets me every time I hear them. You can tell he believes this as it's in his delivery. This yet another single realized prior that enhances Boarding's listening experience. My only skippable moment was Sofa because I'm not a fan of songs that just sound like lazy weed smoking music. We all know this particular style is popular worldwide but being influenced by that flow all the way in Asia doesn't spell victory to me. In fact it's the opposite.





    Shou's a Hip Hop fan(lover) kind of rapper. He comes across as a rapper that listens to a lot of different rappers from all over the world. As a result, he himself can't quite pinpoint his own style. I enjoy his rapping however, I couldn't help but thing that he sounds like other rappers. Colorful was the only track that truly felt like his own area or space. He doesn't even utilize this style on the EP sadly. I would love to hear him sing more on tracks. Colorful shows that he has a very unique voice that would really help to drive his music out of the copy cat shadow into a more original sound.

  Boarding defiantly is an album I've been bumping when I decide to listen to East asian music. Even with the few flaws that come from the artist himself still trying to figure out his artistry, this doesn't stop the EP from being a strong solid effort.

The Witch(마녀) Part 1: The Subversion Korean Film Thoughts(2018)

    The Witch is a South Korean film that took top of the box office during it's first week's release. The film took first during a time where Korean cinema was being ruled by sequel film Accidental Detective 2 and still held on to a top ten spot as American films were released into the box office weeks prior. Over three million people have seen the film as of August of last year. Directed and written by Park Hoon Jung, Kim Da Mi,(Itewon Class) Choi Wook Sik,(Parasite) and Jo Mi Soo star in the action family drama.



   A girl who has no memory of where she was born lives on a farm with her adopted family. She doesn't know that superhuman are looking for her as they all come from the same experimental lab. They find her after she appears on a singing show due to her friend…….

   Half the Witch is a family drama where the main character goes about her daily life with her friend and family. The film spends most of its time here. I'm guessing that's because the director knew there was enough time since a second part is in the works. You have to watch half the film to get to the action. What unfolds isn't especially boring or interesting- just a simple drama involving family and a few weird instances connected to the events at the beginning of the film. Viewers are overall given a lot of build up to the juicy stuff. If fluff taking up half the film experience isn't your thing, I'll say that the action during the latter half of the film is worth the wait. What I took from The Witch was an opportunity for South Korea to flex it's special effects creative ability which was accomplished. The twist wasn't too shocking either but I cared enough to keep watching. Part 2 might be a film that I would watch in the future.

    The cinematography was very scenery based because of the set on location. There was a lot of transitions from the rural area to city life. Scenes shot in the woods feel mysterious yet lonely, something that I believe represents the important characters's personalities in the film.

   I'm not going to lie. Choi Wook Sik was the main reason I decided to check out this film. He's an actor that takes on strange roles and I love him for it. In this role he places an American superhuman man who speaks English and Korean. Choi has a background of living in Canada so he can speak English fluently which helped him in the role. Being bilingual gives his performance a charismatic flare that I haven't seen from him in his other roles. Kim Da Mi is still pretty new but she's an expert at showing a character who has multiple layers to her personality. I enjoyed watching her the most in the latter part of the film.

 

 


   The Witch isn't a film that has an amazing script and it becomes painfully apparent. There are wonderful qualities about The Witch that make it a good film though. Let's see what the sequel has to give this year.


BE WARNED. THE CLIP BELOW IS FROM THE FILM BUT IT MIGHT BE A SPOILER FOR SOME. 

MONSTA X( 몬스타엑스) - ALL ABOUT LUV Album Thoughts(Pop)

Tracklist:
1.WHO DO U LOVE? (feat. French Montana)
2.LOVE U
3.HAPPY WITHOUT ME
4.GOT MY NUMBER
5.SOMEONE’S SOMEONE
6.MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT
7.SHE’S THE ONE
8.YOU CAN’T HOLD MY HEART
9.MISBEHAVE
10.BESIDE U Feat. Pitbull
11.WHO DO U LOVE? (feat. French Montana) [will.i.am Remix] 

   I'm going to keep my thoughts on this short and too the point. There's not much to say about Monsta X's debut English album. I'm not going to lie, I though this album was going to suck. Most Kpop artists that tried to take America by storm got lost in Google translate during the late 2000's. Not that I didn't enjoy some select few like Boa's English album but the rest left not much to really write home about(Yep, I'm looking at ya'll, SNSD, JYJ, Se7en, and 2NE1's nonexistent songs). All About Luv isn't a bad album at all. In fact, it's a solid effort to break into the American music scene. It just sucks that the album feels so safe when you listen to it. There was no risks taken in the production of this album. You can tell that much by how Disney and Nickelodeon most of the tracks sound. I'm talking about the overall melodies and delivery that could require these guys to sing these tracks drunk on Soju then still hungover the next day. This is not to say that the album lacks in shining moments. Who Do You Love's remix should have been the actually original song. Will.i.am does wonderfully bringing out the fire that the first version lacked. French Montana didn't need to be featured anywhere on this album and we all know that he wouldn't have been the first rapper that the guys would have picked for a feature. That man is problematic as fuck and they brought that drama to the guys. Pitbulll should have been the only featured rapper as his vibe fits more. Beside U lights up the album as the uptempo number that would have been playing in clubs if Monsta X had done more promotion during the album's original release. Love U grew on me in the flow of the album even if it does sound like an All Time Rush recycle bin track. It's just a simple catchy song. Got My Number also would have done very well in harmony behind the other tracks I mentioned and Happy Without Me. You Can't Hold My Heart No More can get thrown in there too. With that All About Luv would have made a great mini album. I'm not a fan of all the surgery goodness this album tries to slide down my throat. Tracks like Someone's Someone don't stick cause their not strong enough to remember. I think the biggest thing that this album accomplished is that it lets you know Monsta X's Korean music leaves a better lasting impression on the listener and Kpop acts sometimes dumb themselves down for an American audience which they don't need to do. I would have loved an English album version of their Korean hits though it would have been a headache to translate all the lyrics over to English. The lack of rapping from I.M. and Jooheon also bothered me. These two are too talented to have not rapped full out like in their Korean songs. Everything felt hallow without Jooheon's screams while he raps. Something in me died when Jooheon was put on singer duty….. DON'T EVER MAKE HIM DO THAT AGAIN. HOW DARE YOU EPIC RECORDS. I don't hate his singing but that's not his full time job…. Only his part time job that none should know about.



   

BTS(방탄소년단) -Map of the Soul 7 Album Thoughts(Kpop)

MAP OF THE SOUL : 7 Tracklist

1. Intro : Persona
2. Boy with Luv (feat. Halsey)
3. Make it Right
4. Jamais Vu
5. Dionysus
6. Interlude :  Shadow
7. Black Swan
8. Filter
9. My Time
10. Louder than bombs
11. ON
12. UGH!
13. 00:00 (Zero O’Clock)
14. Inner Child
15. Friends
16. Moon
17. Respect
18. We are Bulletproof : the Eternal
19. Outro : Ego

 These guys need no introduction. It's cemented in stone who BTS is. Even if you don't like them, you know of them from somewhere thanks to very loyal fanbase. Map of the Soul 7 had been announced weeks before the release of the album to Armys excitement. My hope was that the guys topped their last album, Persona: An album that was better than I though it would be while still slightly underwhelming. The role out singles for 7 sadly didn't leave me all that hopeful. On top of that, these would be songs that I would have to hear them promote on American late night television much to my dismay. Calling Map of the Soul musical trash would be kinda of harsh and an understatement. Still, I'm going to do it anyway. My reasons being that 7 contributes nothing that shows these guys have improved their skills as vocalists/rappers. What listeners are constantly getting with each release is the same old nicely mixed and produced tracks that fall back on the same cliches. Autotune heavy production doesn't work when it's misused or just misplaced in a song. I'm also over the tracks that are still using receptiveness of a phrase to appeal to my ears. I'm over it because in reality, these types of songs aren't actually catchy. The only track that was worth listening to was Louder Than Bombs. Too bad you have to sit through nine WHOLE tracks to get to the gem. Nine tracks that are neither fulfilling or anything that wasn't on their mini album Persona….. Can someone help me wrap my head around all the songs from Persona being on this album. Was this a repackaged album that I didn't know about? Big Hit is basically making fans pay for songs that they already own again….. Cause that's what I surely did since I own Persona as it's own mini album. Ugh would have been an alright track had the magic not got lost in the guys trying too hard to overproduce a track that really only needed them with a dope beat minus that autotune. Had the whole album been a darker Rap/RnB sound that fell in line toward Louder then Bombs's style, I would be singing their praises because that album would have shown more growth in maturity as artists. 7 ends up being no more than an unstable experiment that BTS themselves can't even control. Their music is becoming more like a cash cow that can't get back to it's true artistry if it tried. Gosh, I remember the days when BTS actually had depth in their music outside of flashy lyrics paired with the over made up idol image. Now, we get music fueled by popularity which many Kpop fans bandwagon off of whether they actually like BTS's musical direction or not.. I'm not a Kpop reactor nor one of those people that is too afraid to speak my thoughts out of fear that Armys might attack me. A lot of the Armys are keyboard warriors online then have nothing to say in person. I can't take someone like that seriously. BTS just isn't what they use to be…. Simple as that.

   One guy in that whole group has a good voice that's kinda of high pitched. He could go far and he really shines on Louder than Bombs. Some vocal training would do him good too. Jimin dosen't ever need to let the vocal coach leave his sight. An RM solo debut wold do my good right about now. Just putting that out in the world.

   Oh, before I forget- The packaging for this album was awful. I've never opened up a Kpop CD and felt that everything was wrong from the pictures to the poster. Who's bright idea was it to use recycled paper for pictures that have dark backgrounds in them? Big Bit had to have clearly seen that the pictures came out so dark that you can't even see the members in one version of the album's packaging. So I got a trashcan album containing trash songs…… Lord help me. Real music lovers will see where I'm coming from. BTS gets no hate from me. Their new music needs to be set ablaze though.