Mirrors (Review)

by Max Koh


18 August 2008

Title:
Mirrors

Cast:
Kiefer Sutherland, Paula Patton, Cameron Boyce, Erica Gluck, Amy Smart and Mary Beth Peil

Genre:
Horror, Thriller

Review:
Mirrors have long been a common fixation in horror movies. Therefore, it only makes sense that Hollywood produces an entire film about these objects of vanity. I mean, the scares always work. How many times have we scared ourselves silly at images in mirrors?

Kiefer Sutherland gets plenty of that in this film. However, the images in the mirrors turn out to be a real entity that threatens the safety and sanity of his family.

Sutherland plays an ex-cop who works as a night security guard in a department store ravaged by fire. One day, things start to go bump in the night and soon, he realises that something sinister is going on in the mirrors. Instead of quitting his job, he decides to play detective and find out the reasons behind the apparitions besides battling a few demons of his own ... largely connected with his alcoholism.


Sutherland basically reprises his role of Jack Bauer from the ‘24’ TV show and carries the character with much aplomb here. It was interesting to see how a tough cookie like Jack Bauer would react to terrorists of the supernatural kind.



The supporting cast in the form of Amy Smart as the sister and Paula Patton as the wife are strong although one feels the characters could be fleshed out a bit more.

Writer-director Alexandre Aja of ‘The Hills Have Eyes’ and ‘P2’ seems to know how to orchestrate the scares in this movie so that you jump when he wants you to. It's not really anything new but ‘Mirrors’ does the job. There are some genuinely scary moments however nothing that will make you want to stay away from mirrors for good.

If you are of a queasy disposition, you know very well to stay away from this and go watch ‘Wall-E’ instead. If you are hankering for some horror fix, ‘Mirrors’ should keep you happy for awhile.

Songs Built on Tragedies (The Script)

First published in New Sunday Times
17 August 2008

Songs built on tragedies

Not besieged by the death of loved ones, The Script continues to write songs honestly from the heart. MAX KOH talks to the upcoming Irish band about the stories behind the songs

THE Script is Ireland latest music export after U2, The Corrs, Van Morrison, Sinead O Connor and The Cranberries. Mixing soul, pop, hip-hop and anthemic rock dynamics, the band seems to be poised for success with its lead single, We Cry, which is now on the airwaves around the world. At first glance, the trio — Danny O’Donaghue (lead singer, keyboards), Mark Sheenan (guitarist), Glen Power (drummer) — looks just like any other aspiring garage rock band. But a listen to We Cry will reveal a side to Irish music that one has not heard before.

O’Donaghue’s voice is soulful (not unlike neo-white soul boys James Morrison and Jamie Scott) when set against Sheenan’s smooth guitar chops and Power’s controlled funky beats. The song recalls the best of soul music rather than the usual generic rock served by the band’s Irish counterparts. At an interview in Genting Highland recently, O’Donaghue says: “Irish people have soul. It comes from generations of pain, and generations of understanding emotion to be able to physically get that in a solid sound.” We Cry is a special, soulful anthem depicting the every day struggles faced by everybody. It is bleak and assuring at the same time. “Life is not a bed of roses. We all have our own problems and the light at the end of the tunnel may very well be a train. However, we’ll be okay as long as we have each other and together we cry…” explains O’Donague. Its second single, The Man Who Can’t Be Moved, again showcases O’Donague’s soulful vocal inflections and an equally bleak subject. The song, which the band performed at the recent MTV Music Awards on the hill, is about a man who waits desperately for his lover. Despite the bleak nature of their songs, the band members are friendly and chatty. O’Donague was all smiles and very obliging during the photography session. “Did you get a good shot? Do you want to take another one,” he asks before posing again.

Both O’Donague and Power (Sheenan was not present) often peppered their answers with jokes. It felt like an informal chat with some Irish lads in a Dublin pub. They even offered me a sip of coffee. “Have some. It’s definitely one of the best coffees I’ve had,” Power says. “Don’t worry. We did not do anything to the drink.” O’Donague first met Sheenan in their early teens in Dublin. They shared their love for music and often wrote songs together. “I bought a music software called Cubase from Mark (Sheenan) when we struck up a friendship over that. We often wrote music together and thought of ourselves as producers until we realised that Ireland was a little too small for us. We felt we could not progress without moving out of the country,” says O’Donague who, by then, was making demos for other artistes, with Sheenan as a backroom team.

“So we moved to the US where we spent a little time in Orlando before setting up a small studio in Los Angeles near the beach. Sheenan knew Glen (Power) from back in Dublin and he told me that he was a talented musician,” says O’Donague. “So we got him to fly in from Dublin and we sort of jammed out together in the small studio. The first song we played was actually The End Where I Begin and it was then that we realised that we had something really special here.” Power was a prodigy of sorts on the Dublin scene, having played from the age of 15. He even built a home studio. But things changed when he met the guys. “It was like I found my home at last.” That was 2005. With all the pieces in the right places, they spent a couple of months searching for the right sound for the band. However, tragedies began to besiege the band. Sheenan’s mum became terminally ill and the band returned to Dublin so that he could spend time with her. Ten months later, she died. Not too long after that, O’Donague’s father died unexpectedly of a heart attack. “We came home so that Mark could spend some time with his mother. Little was I to know that I would spend quality time with my dad as well,” O’Donague recalls.

However, out of the tragedies, songs emerged. “Each song is like a self-contained story. The music is like the soundtrack to the words and a song is a like a mini film. That’s how the name of the band came about.” Power adds: “In Ireland, people commonly say ‘what’s the script today?’, you know, like ‘what’s going on today?’.” The band is inspired by things they see or do every day. “It may come from a line from a book or even in the middle of a fight with your girlfriend or something. “Imagine the girlfriend screaming ‘are you writing a song or something?’ in the middle of a fight and I’d say ‘no, I’m just writing a list of presents I’m going to get you’,” says Power.

Jokes aside, the band wants to write songs as honestly as possible. O’Donague says one of the most poignant songs on the album is The End Where I Begin, a direct result of all that’s going on in their lives. “Sheenan wrote that song out of a direct reflection of what he was going through with his mother. It was important for him to get it into the music. The deaths and all things that happened actually cut down all the fake things in your life and help you to see things as they are,” says O’Donague.

“The meaning behind that song is that you can see death as an end but it can also be a form of rebirth. And as we sing those words every day, we believe that this is what our parents wanted for us — a rebirth — the end where I begin.” The Script’s two singles, The Man Who Can’t Be Moved and We Cry — are receiving extensive airplay on the radio. The band’s self-titled debut album is in the stores.

Black and White Rules!

First published in New Sunday Times
10 August 2008


Black and white rules!

Nicholas Teo

Panic At The Disco won the edc Style Award

The stars came out to shine at the MTV Asia Awards in Genting Highland recently. MAX KOH gets the low-down on the fashion styles and trends of the evening.

SATURDAY night, and Genting Highland was filled with buzz. There was not much fanfare at the amusement park but a throng of youngsters were seen idling at the entrance to Arena Of Stars.

Their reason? To catch a glimpse of their favourite international stars of course.

For the first time, Malaysia was playing host to the MTV Asia Awards. The anticipation for the event hung thick in the air as fans scrambled to get passes to watch the star-studded event. Those who did not manage to get any, hung around the red carpet nevertheless, just so they may see their idols. And boy, did the artistes turn out to shine.

Well, MTV is not only about the music — it’s also the fashion statements put out by the artistes. Any teenager will gleefully tell you that fashion is as important as the music and if you can’t be a pop star, you can dress like one.

The event was hosted by 30 Seconds To Mars frontman Jared Leto and Cantopop princess Karen Mok. Any qualms about the odd-pairing were soon quashed as they worked very well together.

At the red carpet, Mok turned up in a simple sleeveless white dress that complimented her petite figure.

The handsome Leto had his hair slickly combed to the side and wore a smart, striped black coat. Both hosts were warm and friendly and looked good together.

The Pussycat Dolls was one the big draws of the evening and they dressed up to the nines. Rather than the trashy look that they project in their music videos, they opted for elegance. Lead singer Nicole Scherzinger wore a white knee-length dress with beads on the top. The other members looked elegant in black or white.

As the artistes begin to roll out, it was obvious that black and white ruled the night. Favourite Artiste Hong Kong winner Leo Ku wore a white tuxedo with a black bow while home-grown Nicholas Teo (who won the Favourite Artiste Malaysia) wore an interesting coat of white and black patches.

Leona Lewis, who was reported sick prior to flying down to KL, showed up in a beautiful silky black gown patterned with white motifs.

The dress was simple and complimented her demure personality. But her performance that night was anything but demure as her powerhouse vocals brought the house down. Also dressed in black and white were the 13 members of popular Korean boy band Super Junior.

Most guys opted for coats, shirts and ties except for a few exceptions. Rock band One Republic came out in typical TopShop-esque rock outfits while Favourite Artiste Singer Singapore Stephanie Sun was nicely wrapped in a brown body-hugging dress.

The biggest surprise of the night is the band Panic At The Disco who won the edc Style Award for their distinctive artistic style. The American emo band first hit the scene in 2006 with its first album, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, and is known for their elaborate stage sets which include circus-act performers and contortionists. The members would wear quirky Victorian-age inspired costumes and heavy make-up as can be seen in their early videos, I Write Sins Not Tragedies, and But It’s Better If You Do. In the former video, lead singer Brendon Urie dressed as a circus ringleader.

Since the release of their second album, Pretty.Odd, the band has exchanged their eyeliners and circus references for a more psychedelic 60s pop art feel a la Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Their lead music video Nine In The Afternoon featured brass bands, colourful clothes and street festival-type costumes.

As the last performer of the night, the band proved why they deserve the awards.

The night went with a bang as a brass band, Chinese acrobats and circus performers filled the hall as they performed their hits, I Write Sins Not Tragedies and Nine In The Afternoon. What a blast!

Shaolin Girl review (gua.com.my)

by Max Koh


11 August 2008

Title:
Shaolin Girl

Cast:
Kou Shibasaki, Toru Nakamura, Yosuke Okamura, Kitty Zhang, Lam Chi Chung and Tin Kai Man

Genre:
Action, Adventure, Comedy

Review:
Dear Stephen Chow,

I am a big fan of your movies. I love most of your films and ‘mou-lei-tou’ (Cantonese for nonsensical) humour. When I saw your name attached to this film as the producer, I thought “Wow, this must be good!”

Then I saw the title and thought this must be a sequel of sorts to your hilarious ‘Shaolin Soccer’ (2001). But how wrong I was. ‘Shaolin Girl’ was boring, derivative, unfunny and utterly inferior to your original film.

Midway through the film, I wanted to scream, “Why, Mr. Chow, why? Why did you allow this film to be made and have your name attached to it!!??”

But after a long deliberation over a cup of coffee and barbecued chicken wings, I realised that you wanted to teach us some lessons with this film. Oh, you are such a genius, Mr Chow. No wonder you were listed as one of Time Asia’s most important people.

Anyway, I took the time to list down the lessons I’ve learnt from this film. They are:

1) Being a producer is different from being a director. Yes, I know you have rejected calls to direct a sequel to your smash hit. Yet, you agreed to have Katsuyuki Motohiro direct this Japanese spin-off of your beloved film. And thus, you didn’t have much input in the creative process. Therefore, instead of the slapstick comedy that one would expect, the film was void of laugh-out-loud funny moments, any good action or *gasp*, dare I say it – anything resembling the comic genius of your film.

2) ‘Shaolin Girl’ is a Japanese production that tries to expand on your first film and adapt it for Japanese audiences. Therefore, it is riddled with melodrama, boring dialogues, and unrealistic CGI that is sure to appease the taste buds of anime-fed Japanese. However, fans outside the Land of the Rising Sun are not amused.

3) No one does ‘mou-lei-tou’ better than you. Only you can carry off such comic situations without their coming across as lame. And the absence of your creative force in this film is evident. Even the casting of Tin Kai Man and Lam Chi Chung (from ‘Shaolin Soccer’) was not enough to tickle our funny bones. We need you.

4) No one pays homage to idols better than you. The fighting scenes at the end come across as mocking Bruce Lee rather than celebrating him. Also, it is clear that Hong Kong has the best choreographers for kung-fu fighting scenes. The action scenes here are slow and uninspiring.

5) The film is about a talented kung fu teacher Rin (Shibasaki) who returns to Japan to take over her grandfather’s dojo after training for 3,000 days in a Shaolin temple. However, she ends up playing lacrosse for a university team that is headed by an evil director who tempts her to join the dark side. She must learn to control her powers lest she is forever lost to the Sith’s empire ... oops, I mean the university’s evil ways. But why is the plotline so familiar? And why is the story not as compelling? Oh, cause you did not write it.

6) I have to make sure I don’t get my expectations too high just because your name is attached to it.

We can see that the film suffered because of the absence of your creative input. Clearly, we need you. And maybe it is a lesson for you too. That you need to be careful before you give the green light to directors to expand on your films. Sigh...

I shall wait with expectation for your ‘Kung Fu Hustle’ sequel, which you will direct. For now, I will watch ‘Justice My Foot’ and ‘Chinese Odyssey’ for a dose of your comic genius and pretend I did not watch this at all.

Sincerely,
Wong Jing