Alienoid(외계+인 1부) Korean Film Thoughts

 

   

    People is different time zones try to stop Aliens from taking over the earth. One is an Alien who lives on earth with a human child and the other is shamans in historical Korea.  

      This was a film that wasn't one that could be saved by the end of everything that was done. The all star cast couldn't save this film. A new concept story couldn't have this film. There were some cool moments and how the film started out was really interesting. Then.... Too much starts happening at one time. I didn't even know that there was three timelines. Let's talk about the comedy. I loved the funny interactions with alien, robot, and a child. They had me giggling. Somehow director Choi Dong Hoon felt the need to keep adding comedy release scenes that threw off the balance of the film. I couldn't take a lot of what was going on seriously. This kept happing and I got to the point that I stopped caring. I was so taken out of the film by the time the credits rolled. 

    The performances were what it was. I do applaud Kim Woo Bin for playing a dual role. He had to be a very serious character and a kinda silly character. It was nice to see So Ji Sub again after such a long time. 

    I wanted Alienoid to be more than what it was. I'm disappointed in how disjointed this film was. Korean films are failing to attract large audiences of people in South Korea nowadays. You can see why....... 

Atarashii Gakko!(新しい学校のリーダーズ) - Ichijikikoku(一時帰国) Album Thoughts (J-pop/rock)

 

   Atarashii Gakko! is a girl group that debuted in 2017 with Victor Entertainment and had many indie singles before finally gaining attention this year. The girl gained worldwide attention with their releases under 88raising label, before finally releasing their first mainstream debut. They also performed on THE FIRST TAKE youtube channel. for even more fame.

Tracklist:
1. じゃないんだよ
2. 青春を切り裂く波動
3. Giri Giri
4. Suki Lie
5. オトナブルー
6. 乙女の美学
7. 踊る本能001

      Gakko's first major debut could have you calling them an idol girl group but I don't know if I would quite put them in the category. The album's first two tracks are hard pop rock that might make listeners think of artists like anti idol group Bish. However, these girls defiantly take on the sound as their own self expression. These tracks are hard hitters that set the tone for an album that isn't really what you would expect if you base everything off these openers. Gakko won't let you go without feeling a sense of their wacky emotions and man.. do they have mood swings. They go from talking about hating a love that's full of lies(Suki Lie) to wanting a more mature kind of love(Otonablue). I enjoyed how their musically sound feels modern yet, old in a fashion that focuses on bouncy beats with vocal harmonies at the core of the music. This album has some great moments that you catch, the more times you listen. 

        Atarashii Gakko! has one main vocalist and the other girls feel like background vocalists. I have heard that other girls lead songs but not as often as the girl who wears the glasses. She has a big voice that sounds mature due to her deep tone and loud notes. 

     I highly recommend this group to anyone who loves Jpop. These girl can actually sing live too. So, that's a big plus in my book... 

Onlyoneof(온리원오브) - Seoul Collection Album Thoughts(K-pop)

 

  Onlyoneof is a South Korean idol boy band that debuted in 2019. They got a lot of attention for their male on male action promoted in their dances and music video. The group was met with some backlash on Korean social media while people outside of the country praised the group for being themselves without fear. Their newest album is called Seoul Collection which was released after a slew of singles. 

Tracklist:
1. chrOme hearts
2. seOul drift
3. mirage
4. candy bOmb
5. blueblueseOul
6. nabi
7. dOra maar (Eng. Ver.)

   Seoul Collection is the best album from this group to date. I would say this at least in my opinion. this album flows together production wise than their other albums. Those tracks felt like mostly demos outside of the title tracks wherein, here the music is much more solidified into one idea. Chrome Hearts is a more hard hitting single than Seoul Drift. Both tracks are loud electric pop tracks that make you want to shimmy but Drift might be more mainstream to some listeners. Other tracks are sensual using a smoothness that's demanding yet, not forceful. You can hear it in the way the guys sing and rap. Examples where this sound is very apparent is tracks such as Mirage. I'm such a fan of these guys because they continue to grow each time they have a comeback. Time will only tell if they will be a new light in the K-idol world. 

George Fei(吳霏FEI) - Not Bad Album Thoughts (C-rap)

 

    I don't know too much about Fei Wu. He has different names. Sometimes he comes up as George Fei or Fei Wu. His career seems to have started in 2019. He released his first album last year called Not Bad. 

  FEI's debut album has him like a chameleon changing colors on every track. I thought he was a rapper. At least that's what I assumed from Not Bad's title track. The hip hop track gives FEI a whole lot of attitude to present. It's a strong leading single that's defiantly a head bop. OMG has him rocking out using a messy flow that i'm not too much a fan of. He starts to sing on a little bit of tracks too. Vocals aren't bad at all on these tracks. I just wasn't expecting him to go there and sound good. My favorite track is Keep Fallen where he showcases the perfect balance of rapping and singing. FEI performances tragic love songs very well. 

    Not Bad is a good album. The full effort is right at home with what is out in Taiwan right now. FEI is a young artist who will only keep on rising. 

Emergency Deceleration(비상선언) Korean Film Thoughts(2022)

 

    Emergency Deceleration is a 2022 South Korean film that was directed by Han Jae Rim. The film has an all star cast of actors and actresses that have been in Korean cinema for years. I don't even need to list their names at this point.... More than a million admissions were made for the film, making it into the eight highest grossing film in 2022 for South Korea. 

    A terrorist boards a plane of a hundred and fifty people with a virus that infects everyone within reach. Now, the Korean government and the plane's staff must race against time to save everyone. 

    This film wasn't what I thought it would be. My first expectation was that the plot would have the same theme throughout the entire film. Nope. Plots start to diverge off into sub-stories, with the passengers on the plane being the main focus. One could say that this method might have been compelling if told in an exciting way. Instead Emergency suffers by doing too much at once. A killer going on a plane to unleash some virus on people with a bit of plane terror scenes would have done this film wonders. Honestly, it was that simple. Maybe the first hour of this film is interesting because this kind of action is what people really came for... After the main villain is moved out of the way, only thing that's left is the same old melodrama formula that South Koreans love to waddle in. The script loves to hear it's self be heroic so much that the last some odd minutes over stays it's welcome. Certain parts of this film were great however, other parts could have been replaced with better storytelling. That very last scene was overkill too. The second to the last scene should have been the final scene. 

     Performances were anything that could knock a fish out of the water. All the casting choices made sense. I do want to give an honorable mention to Yim Si Won. He did an outstanding job here and it was sad that he wasn't in around longer. He should have been in the film til the end or at least close to the end. 

   I believe that there will be people who like Emergency Deceleration. There's stuff to like. Just be aware that this film is very flawed as well. 

Cadode - Fuyuu Bug(浮遊バグ) Album Thoughts(Jpop)

 

   I didn't even know that Cadode was actually a band until I looked up more information about them.... I've been so used to just seeing one guy as vocals that, I assumed he was solo. The more you know, right? Cadode is a group that became more well known due to adding theme songs to the series Summertime Rendering. After a couple of single releases, they finally released their first full length album  at the start of the new year. 

Tracklist:
1. さかいめだらけ
2. 浮いちまった!
3. 寺にでも行こうぜ
4. 回夏
5. 逆風
6. シュウ末紀行
7. hunch
8. かたばみ
9. 光
10. 近道

   Fuyuu Bug is like nothing that I have heard from Japan all year. There was a moment when I first stumbled upon a music video of theirs where I was hooked right away. Cadode describes their music as filling in the void of nothingness. Sound fills in the quiet as does the production that was created for this album. A lot of samples of normal everyday sounds are sampled in the tracks. Sounds such as Water on a shoreline, children making random noises, and the sounds of a city at midday. Some of the production is loud at random times to draw attention to the beauty of all the little dynamics that are working inside the instrumentals. Still, the tracks could the chalked up to being techno electronica music at the end of the day. Cadode adds their own style to the genre though. Each track as it's own unique production that adds value to Fuyuu Bug and if you listen closely, you will come to appreciate all the work these guys put into their music.  Maybe even bust a move as well. 

   Vocals can be a hit or a miss depending on what you're into musically. Cadode's frontman has a good vocal quality but sometimes he doesn't sound as good singing certain tracks. He struggles to sing ballads at times. The lower range of his voice can be a little unstable while, the falsetto part of his voice is used constantly. Japan seems to love higher pitches when it comes to vocals. 

    I'm addicted to Cadode overall. I love the album so much that I went back to listen to their older mini albums too. Did I mention that their music videos are beautifully shot?? OMG just the ones for Summertime Rendering alone are amazing! Check them out guys!