Dark Knight and Brandy for December 2008

Now out on DVD, the movie of the year, with all screaming fans saying the following:

"Why   So   Serious?"

 "The Dark Knight"

(Please reference Blog Review from "Word on the Street"- "I Knight Thee" in July 2008)

Out December 9, 2008 

Brandy gives a uplifting and touching performance and lives up to the title of her new CD "Human". It has a been nothing but easy for this R&B Diva. Four years ago she came out with her fourth album but since then she broke off her engagement, left Atlantic Records along with her manager and was involved in a car accident that caused a fatality. 

Brandy brings us back to all the emotions that we go through in life and how we can really just need music to get us through those hard times. It really invokes our "Human" side even though we may at times cloak it with laughter or solace. You have listen to it!!

Premature Evaluation: 'Twilight'

Premature Evaluation

Reviewing movies and music before they come out — without the movie or the CD.

From seeing the massive amounts of buzz associated with "Twilight," I swear I must have been in a hole for the past three years. Before last month, I had no idea what this was.

I need to talk to my teenage nieces more, I suppose.

This film adaptation of the bestselling novel by Stephenie Meyer is a love story between a 17-year-old girl named Isabella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and Edward Cullen, a 108-year-old vampire who is 17 physically (Robert Pattinson). More vampires show up, Swan's family becomes endangered and action/drama ensues. (I'm assuming of course – otherwise it would be quite anticlimactic.)

108 and 17. This movie seems to be promoting statutory rape and I know it certainly doesn't follow the xkcd "Standard Creepiness Rule" of dating.

But onto the review. The trailer follows the industry standard of a vampire movie: desaturated colors and creepy gothic music. But there's an added element with horror sound effects intermingled with the clip.

The director seems to want to portray it as part-horror and part-romance, which is what it sounds like from the synopsis. That said, I wasn't drawn into it. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy creepy love stories – Takashi Miike's "Audition" is among my favorites – but this trailer simply didn't peak my interest.

The acting is lackluster and the interlaced scenes don't say more than the typical sappy teenage love flick.

But Cullen killing the deer is entertaining.

And the soundtrack is a positive based on the samples off of iTunes. It's mix of pop-rock and gothic-rock medleys with catchy choruses.

Ultimately, this movie looks like it's going to end up being a mediocre adaptation of a popular book (like "The Da Vinci Code") with a soundtrack that's far more memorable than its film counterpart (like "The Saint").

Buzz level: One-and-a-half bees out of four

Premature Evaluation: Kanye West's '808s and Heartbreaks'

Premature Evaluation – reviewing movies and music before they come out. And without the movie or the CD.

When Kanye West's The College Dropout hit shelves back in 2002, it was filled with deep, introspective lyrics laced into soulful beats, and it was one of the best albums I've listened to this decade.

But since his strong solo debut, West has been going down a steady slope. Late Registration had its moments with the catchy "Gold Digger" and the rich "Diamonds from Sierra Leone," but as a whole didn't live up to its predecessor. Graduation took another step down. While the tracks featured full-bodied instrumentals and his rapping ability improved, his lyrics took a turn for the worse. He had something to say in his solo debut – he has nothing to talk about in this one.

West's latest effort, 808s and Heartbreaks, is supposedly a departure from rap as reports say West sings the entire album. And from listening to the first single off the album, "Love Lockdown," it is certainly a departure. Not just from rapping, but from West's trademark heavier beats. It's simple and danceable, but not as fun as his some of his previous efforts. "Heartless," the second single, features what sounds like repetitive Peruvian flutes over soft drum beats and synthesized vocals.

If these two songs are indications of what the rest of the album sounds like, it would be another step down as West endeavors into a more generic mainstream path – catchy, but ultimately not memorable.

Buzz level: Two out of four bees.

Key Your Heart to the R & B "Concert of the Year"

 
 
  Alicia Keys is coming to Denver at the Wells Fargo Theatre, Wednesday September 17th at 8:oo p.m.

My Favorite solo artist. Her concerts are always great and always reasonable to buy. You will not be disappointed at all.  

I HAVE MINE, WHERE'S YOURS? Tickets are on sale right now!!

 

For: General Public

Ages: For all Ages

Price: Varies from $49.50-$100.00

Getting to see Alicia Keys Live-Priceless!!

Coming to Denver: Thao with the Get Down Stay Down

I have a common, yet someone unusual last name — according to people I talk to, at least. So when I find someone who shares it, I tend to have a more critical eye on what they do — particularly when they're visible in the public eye.

Needless to say, I'm not a fan of Miss Tila Tequila's antics and her unique brand of music.

But this Thursday, a Nguyen with talent is coming to town. Virginia-based Thao Nguyen — or "towel" as she was called in kindergarten — and The Get Down Stay Down bring their alt-country sound to the Hi-Dive.

Place: Hi-Dive
Date: Thursday, July 24
Time: Doors open at 8 p.m., show starts at 9 p.m.
Price: $10
Age: 21+

Check out her music at http://www.myspace.com/thaomusic.
Or (shameless plug) check out my review of her latest album at http://www.asiaxpress.com/Articles/2008/jan/thao/1.html.

The Slants come to Denver

Think synthpop died with the 80s? Think again.

Portland-based group The Slants bring their blend of "Chinatown dance rock" to the Mile High City tonight.

Place: Lion's Lair
Date: Monday, July 21
Time: 8 p.m.
Price: $7
Age: 21+

Check out The Slants at their MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/theslants

i'm home...

and there will be one, big, final post to come complete with pics and video.

just lettin' you all know.

-b

so tired

just got back from more than 5 hours in the sun.

yonder's set was great. as was jerry douglas's.

i think i'm going to go sit in the hot tub for 15 minutes, take a shower and nap until later tonigh for sammy bush's set.

koto.org for the stream...

late night...

so, i tried thinking of a way to describe yonder's late night show last night and i really can't.

they opened with Terrapin Station, only had one guest the whole night and played until 2:30 a.m. so I really don't have to say much more.

06/20/08 (Fri) Sheridan Opera House - Telluride, CO

Set 1: Terrapin Station> Steep Grade Sharp Curves> Mothers Only Son> Left Me In A Hole, Hill Country Girl, Must've Had Your Reasons, Fine Excuses, Angel, Crooked Hitch, Big Spike Hammer, Going Across The Sea, Part 1(Lord Only Knows)> High Cross Junction> Cuckoo's Nest> Bolton Stretch

Set 2: *If There's Still Ramblin In The Rambler(Let Him Go)> *Raleigh & Spencer> *Ramblin Reprise, *Crow Black Chicken, New Deal Train, Boatman's Dance> Midwest Gospel Radio> My Gal, *Peace Of Mind> *Kentucky Mandolin> *Peace Of Mind E: ???, *Two Dollar Blues

Comment: *= Ronny McCoury on mandolin & vocals, acoustic encore

i will say it got real crowded towards the end, but holy crap -- that was hands-down the best yonder show i have seen in years.

afterwards, about ten of us came back here for a super-late-night dance party in the condo until an hour i probably shouldn't disclose.

how i made it down to the festival grounds today already to drop off chairs is beyond me -- though i realized i'm wearing a t-shirt with my own picture on it about 10 minutes after getting there and everyone was calling me champ. (the shirt says champ as well)

video and other stuff to come.

as for now, I think i should get some sleep. no, i know i should get some sleep... so i'm going to go have a beer in the sun of the festival with greg and sara and pass out in a lawn chair.

more later...

wow.

things are a bit hazy still... I haven't slept much.

Yesterday started out late, with Josh and I walking over to the festival in time to see drew and billy play.

walking over, we went past a guy playing banjo for a bunch of little kids. I saw the cutest little girl dancing with a balloon on the way and had to get a picture. It was so cute I wanted to puke. or maybe that was the hangover.

you judge. i'll post the picture.

we got to the tarp and clearly some people haven't been to telluride before. I get it that it's GA, but what are people thinking when they set up their chairs on a tarp they didn't put out... whatever.

we were also joined by two lovely ladies from Ft. Collins. It was the difference between cool tarp crashing and not cool tarp crashing.

Nershi/Emmitt was introduced by Jeff from Yonder, and hearing SCI songs played on stage at Telluride was just awesome. black clouds, restless wind and tangled up in blue were the highlights. billy's solos are so unique, it truly is a voice only he has.

"little kids with squirt guns are rad"

"#4 - Spray Bottle"

walked over to hang out with a friend I work with for a bit, met some more good festivarians and got a good view of peter rowan on stage - he opened with midnight moonlight followed by panama red.

Afterwards we went to elks park to see Billy and Tyler Grant do a flatpickinig workshop. Hung out with Phil and Andrea for a bit, but had to come let people in the condo ...

so i napped it up until about 8 p.m. and started getting ready for Yonder's latenight show....

btw...

you can stream the main stage set at www.koto.org.

(ended up enjoying the morning listening to bela on the radio. headed over in about30 for emmit-nershi though).

the camera is fixed.

::Willie & Family Live plays in the background as people sleep under tables::

it's amazing what beating a camera up against the side of a couch and digging into it with a rusty leatherman will accomplish....

btw, no-go on the hike, so shower then off to the festival for:

- 11:30 bela fleck duos with friends
- 1:15 Emmit-Nershi Band
- 3:00 Peter Rowan and the Free Mexican Airforce
- 4:00 Tim O'Brien

If I'm still able to stand the sun, i'll stick around to check out Paolo Nutini, as i've heard good things... but tonight is Yonder's nightgrass show at the Sheridan...

also, I have been trying to upload the several videos I have (including two great little minute-long shots of Uncle Earl on stage), but the connection here is horrible and I'm not really going to walk somewhere to find a wireless connection. Its vacation, and have to draw the line of being a complete nerd (albeit an undercover one) somewhere.

day two begins...

with my camera refusing to turn on.

"wt fucking f." - Ryan Adams

::a Lasko rotary fan hums in the window, blowing a cool breeze across my toes::

really, the second day of the festival and I can't take a damn picture other than on my phone. great.

whatever, we'll make the best of it... by starting the day with a glass of Jameson and forgetting I have a camera all together.

so, i decided that i'm not a music critic, and me trying to talk bluegrass in any sort of critical form just reads painfully.... so while i'll keep up with that, there's plenty of other stuff i'm more capable of writing about.

like the guy out of his head on mushrooms in front of us for Ryan Adams set last night.

Had the camera not broken, I could have gotten a picture of this guy scooping up dust in his hands, throwing into the air and laughing. Oh, and he sang along at the top of his lungs with Adams as he sang Oasis's 'Wonderwall'.

At least he was a nice kid. He offered to roll my friend a cigarette. However, I"m sure it would have taken him an hour and it would have turned out in the shape of a question mark or something like that.

Adams' set was great. You could see the look of 'oh, i'm not going to tlike this' on some of the more docile festivarians faces as the soundcheck guys cranked his amps to 11 (sadly over a recording of Crooked Still from last year).

In what I am to understand is typical, he popped out on stage late, mumbled something incoherent and then blasted into his rock/folk/emo mix of tunes.

btw, don't try and walk from east to west across the festival grounds at night. the light from the food booths WILL blind you, and you WILL walk into the back of a lowback chair. this happened to me twice.

ended up near the stage at the end for a tiny glowstick war. i'll post some vids of it later.

After the show, i decided not to do any night grass concerts and instead went for a classy drink at the Sheridan Bar (which is under construction, but opened up for the festival - hence the overflowed toilet).

Somehow ended up in a condo watching some 23-year-old playing a drinking game where they duct-tape their beer cans together as they finish them. needless to say the guy with the longest beer-can-cane was torched and making an ass of himself as he tried to be the funny guy at the party.

came home around 1:30, passed out and feel like a damn champ thismorning.

off to Bridal Veil Falls for a hike with greg and sara, then on to the festival!

music to check out while i'm gone: Paper Bird. They aren't playing the festival, but dear god they should be. These three girls voices are like honey dipped in melted glass dipped in pixie farts -- and the trombone/banjo/bass/guitar instrumentation is amazing.

www.myspace.com/paperthebird

(in the pics: Max the Team-Awesome Telluride mascot and shots from Ryan Adams)
(more to come later)

On stage: Jo Koy

If you're looking for something to do this weekend, head over to ComedyWorks Downtown and check out Jo Koy.

I saw him perform on Wednesday night and he's hilarious. High-energy observational humor about topics ranging from sex and relationships to the antics of his 5-year-old son.

Showtimes are 8 p.m. on June 18; 8 p.m. on June 19; 8 and 10 p.m. on June 20; 6:30, 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. on June 21; 8 p.m. on June 22. Tickets range from $14 to $22.

And if you want to know more about him, check out this story.

festivaaaaal!

::a recording of last night's Yonder show, courtesy of Philly, plays in the background -- and it's freaking good::

okay, i'm sun baked like a freakin' clam right now. i think the sun hid behind the clouds for a total of five minutes between noon and 3:30. i have on SPF 50 and i'm still red.

and this is only day one. fucking hell...

anyway, i tried updating from the iPhone, but i can't hack into the press wireless in the concert grounds so i'm back to taking notes.

Cadillac Sky was pretty darn good. a bunch of texas guys, but they had a great country/bluegrass mix sound with a bit of Flecktones-space mixed in for good measure. good soaring banjo, with a light mando sound backing it.

"12:15 - getting kinda hot here"

I sat and read the Daily Planet for a while while the band played and enjoyed the crowd. pictures should be above...

our tarp neighbors had some crackers, swiss cheese and avacado slices that were quite tasty.

"So many pretty bluegrass girls"
yes, there are. though, most of them are in better shape than i will ever be and spent the entire morning before the festival grounds open climbing thousand-foot cliffs with their Siberian husky named Kiva and boyfriend named Tarzan.

i digress...

"1:04 - holy fucking hot"

though, at this point one of the largest clouds of the day came creeping over the valley. It's like watching the guys at Coors field throw out Cracker Jack at the 7th inning stretch and hoping one floats your way.

and why do people have to smoke in the middle of the day, in the middle of a hot, sunny field?

"1:13 - new addition to my list: #2 - shade umbrella. and holy crap, this band (Cadillac Sky) is covering Green Day's 'Basket Case' (video to come). seriously?"

Cadillac Sky ended, we sat through the 'tweener (featuring 17-year-old Dominic Leslie on mando) and on came the g'Earls of Uncle Earl. (like sweet sirens!)

this band is old-timey, all female and awesome. they have a high-and-lonesome -type harmony mixed with a good swingy-shuffle.

"ah fat tire on a hot day" (someone had brought me my first beer of the day). Uncle Earl is freaking great"

new addition to the list: #3 - suntan lotion that won't burn my eyes when i sweat.

"my coozie fits my beer cup. nice"

Uncle Earls set ends with 'crayola' with the super-sugary-sweet line: "crayola doesn't make a color like your eyes."

decided to get up and come back to the condo at this point. Arlo Guthrie might be good, but i'm not about to stick around in the sun for that. I need to go to the grocery store and get some breat, peanut butter, jelly and a bag of cheetos.

i ran into someone i work with from time to time at the show when i was walking out. Great to see them though, as it's always nice to see people outside of the professional context.

off to the grocery, back home to eat, shower and then off to elks park (picture above) to see some small performances for a bit then off to Ryan Adams and the Cardinals tonight back at the mainstage....

-b

(included in the pics: greg and sara walking to the venue, elks park stage, bridal veil falls, view from the seats and my super-awesome neon chair)

11:02 update...

::Bob Dylan's new morning plays in the background::

just walked up to town, got the yellow wristband on my arm and threw down a huge tarp just behind the last stack on the stage right side of the fairgrounds. we came back to pick up some chairs, grab some drinks and relax for about an hour.

It is yet another cloudless day in telluride. kids are selling lemonade on the side of the street, though i am still on water for the moment.

i learned yet another lesson for next year (And i'm keeping a list):
1. bring a bicycle.

since we got a good tarp spot, i'll be going baack by noon to see cadilac sky then uncle earl. though by the time arlo comes on, i think i'll go find some shade.

no pictures yet, but i'll start taking some pics -- sadly i can't upload them from the iPhone... yet...

music to check out while i'm gone: Tim O'Brien

-b

Telluride 2008 - first day.

GREETINGS FROM TELLURIDE!

well, after a Wednesday drive from Denver that included:
- smoke pouring out the back of my car in Eisenhower tunnel,
- numerous idiot drivers,
- a 30-minute pileup south of Montrosse where road work had funneled everything down to one lane, and
- a strange odor of gasoline coming from my air conditioner

we made it into town.
Also, having a press pass on your car DOES have it's advantages (aside from the TWO "press" parking spots near the capitol) as I got full car access into town without even a word said by the guy at the gate.

Wednesday night is technically the night before the festival, so most people are getting into town and setting up camp or getting into their condos. (the hardcore town park campers have been here for weeks, however).

anyway, it is also the kickoff party night with Yonder Mountain String Band at the conference center up in Mountain Village. Me, Jason, Rick and his buddy Josh rolled up in the gondola with fresh drinks in hand around 7:30, stood around in line for a bit running into a good 20 people or so we knew. There were a lot more ticketless people outside this year than years past -- the show sold out this year in 24 hours.

the band came on right around 9 and opened up with Shawn Camp's 'redbird' with the crowd raging behind. Dave Johnston's banjo was on point from the start of the show and i remember thinking how loud the band was without sounding distorted.

The venue itself is just a huge ballroom/conference center, nothing too special, but it has a really flat sound thanks to the carpet of the room.

I haven't seen Yonder since February, and the band sounds much more rehearsed. they ripped through originals like 'at the end of the day' and Johnston's recently-penned 'Fingerprint' as well as Bob Dylan's 'Spanish Harlem Incident' in the first set, but the highlight for me was 'new horizons > suspicious minds (Elvis) > new horizons'. I have heard them cover that song once before in 2004 at a show in Vail, so to hear it again in the middle of new horizons was great. I was in the beer line when they started it, and turned to some random girl behind me, grabbed her and started two-stepping.

the boys closed out the set with a 'new horizons' dedicated to the folks in the midwest floods.

it's bluegrass festival, afterall.

a fifth microphone was put out on stage at setbreak, and after the lights went down Mr. Drew Emmitt from Leftover Salmon walked on stage to play the entire set. the band kicked off the last hour and a half with Adam Aijala ripping through the intro of Shawn Camp's 'damned if the right one didn't go wrong'. After a lackluster 'East Nashville Easter', the band tore through Todd Snider's 'sideshow blues' and into bassist Ben Kauffman's 'Catch a Criminal', with the home-town crowd-pleasing first line "I'm going back to Colorado, with my suitcase and a gun/I'm gonna find me a desperate woman/and have me a little fun'

yes. yes we are.

the band toyed around with two of their murder ballads at the end of the night, 'on the run' and 'dawn's early light'. The first song being a part of an ongoing saga of songs that revolve around the rambler, the sherriff and the sheriff's wife. The latter is about brothers seeking revenge for the killing of their third brother by an outlaw.

oddly, the band chose to jam out of dawns and into Danny Barnes's (of the Bad Livers) Death Trip - a song about not wanting to grow up again, among other things such as selling 'it by the pound'.

the band played up until midnight, leaving no time for an encore. But I've still got three more sets of YMSB this week, so i'm not complaining.

Afterwards, we waited in an hour + line to get back down the gondola into Telluride where the parties lasted until well after 3 a.m.

SO....
Today is the start of the actual festival on the other end of town. I"m going to get up and get some food in me, take a longboard over and check out the scene at the gates, pick up my wristband and do some people watching.

there's no bands i want to see until 2 p.m. when the ladies of Uncle Earl take the stage. AFter that is a set by Arlo Guthrie, then Del McCoury Band, then Ani DiFranco and finally tonight, Ryan Adams and the Cardinals (if he shows up)

More updates and pictures later.

In Theaters: 'Speed Racer'

Hollywood seems to have an Asian fetish these days.

From the countless horror remakes to the martial-art-heavy films such as "The Forbidden Kingdom" and "Kung Fu Panda," Hollywood producers have taken a liking to all things Asian. Now they're moving into the world of cartoons.

Five years removed from "The Matrix" trilogy, the sibling duo of Andy and Larry Wachowski have returned with a live-action version of the classic '60s anime, "Speed Racer." Taking a page out of the cartoon's frenetic animation style, they create a hyper-realistic world of fast cars and intense racing. But the film is constrained by overly corny moments and a lack of intelligent dialogue.

The film follows the story of Speed (played by Emile Hirsch), the middle child of the Racer family and a naturally talented driver who follows the footsteps of his late older brother, Rex (Scott Porter), who died in a race years earlier. Speed dominates the local circuit and is offered a lucrative deal to race with Royalton Industries. He turns down the deal and suffers the wrath of the company's maniacal owner.

What makes this film is its visuals. The Wachowski brothers tried to replicate the appearance of an anime by keeping both the foreground and the background in focus. The colors were saturated, creating a vibrant look. While it is trippy and a little difficult to absorb initially, it adds

The strong cast shined in their performances. John Goodman and Susan Sarandon are marvelous in their portrayals of Pops and Mom Racer, giving the film grounded balance to the cartoonish world. Roger Allam, who played the mogul Royalton, is the quintessential movie supervillain down to his Segway. Slithering and sliming his way through the film, he is fun to hate because he exudes natural charisma.

However, Hirsch didn't do much to give life to Speed, plodding his way with one emotion: focus. But his trash talking is amusing during the races.

But the quips were few and far in between. A lot of the dialogue is annoying, especially anything that came out of the mouth of Spritle (Paulie Litt). Much of what Spritle said sounded forced and added nothing to the film.

"Speed Racer" is a decent adaptation that provides some entertainment. While the visuals and the race scenes are fun to watch, the stuff in between comes off more as filler than substance. It's worth watching at the dollar theater or as a rental. Here's hoping the next anime adaptation, "Dragon Ball Z" will be better.

In Theaters: 'Harold & Kumar Escape from Guanatanamo Bay'

Last time, Harold Lee and Kumar Patel just wanted some White Castle sliders. This time they have to escape from a U.S. military prison.

The pot-smoking duo returns with a load of new adventures in directors John Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg's "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay." This latest addition brings back its tongue-in-cheek look at racial stereotypes along with a smorgasbord of gross-out humor and fart jokes. Although the film starts off slowly, its over-the-top storyline and skilled performances creates an entertaining experience.

The story picks up just as the last one leaves off with Harold (played by John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) preparing to embark on a trip to Amsterdam in order to pay a surprise visit to Harold's new love interest, Maria (played by Paula Garcés). But during the flight, Kumar has a hankering to get high using his smokeless bong. When an older woman mistakes it for a weapon, all hell breaks loose and the two are sentenced to Guantanamo Bay.

"Guantanamo Bay" opens lethargically, giving moviegoers a recap of "White Castle's" ending and setting up the premise for what's to come. While there are moments to chuckle and grimace at – seminal fluid and poop jokes arrive in the first five minutes – the film doesn't pick up until after the two board their plane to Amsterdam.

The film avoids the pitfall of other comedic sequels whose writers fill their scripts with rehashed jokes. While it still has parts that are pulled from "White Castle," such as the similarity between the parachute and the hang-glider scenes, the majority of the humor is new. One of the best moments is a flashback to Kumar's college days and a distinctly different Harold comes walking in.

But the heart of the movie resides in its actors. Cho and Penn masterfully play off each other, creating an odd couple-esque chemistry. But the scene stealer is Rob Corddry, who plays the Homeland Security agent chasing the two friends. His performance as the overzealous and blatantly ignorant officer pushes the boundaries from bad guy to cartoonish super villain.

"Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay" isn't for everyone. Its grotesque humor and coarse language require a bit of a strong stomach. But beyond the scatological and sexual jokes, the film is a smart, satirical look at racial stereotypes in the U.S.

Album review: 'Story of a City' opens new chapter, blending Chinese instruments with hip-hop, jazz

Finding an identity is something many Asian Americans struggle with. But Dave Liang seems to have found his niche.

In 2006, the music producer reinvented the way Chinese instruments are heard with the album, The Shanghai Restoration Project – named one of AsiaXpress.com's top-five Asian-American albums for the year. Fusing the traditional sounds with modern hip-hop and jazz flavors, he created something he said mirrored his upbringing as a Chinese American.

Continuing with the formula, his latest album, Story of a City, is latest next chapter in his musical journey. Liang teams up a bevy of musicians to create a compilation filled with rich, tranquil tracks that produce chilled euphoria.

The lyrics aren't the strongest elements in the album, but they add an uplifting tone and are a vast improvement over those in its predecessor. For some songs, such as "Voices," the words add to the track's depth: "In our eyes we seek an answer / That our minds already know / That the truth lies not in secret / But the stories that are told."

Only one song, "Touchdown," becomes lost with the ramblings. Rather than having any reason, its filled with verses that simply rhyme. Then at 2:04, it sounds as if Natural Fact runs out of things to say with an awkward pause to the song.

Di Johnston, one of the staples of the debut album, reunites with Liang in the song, "Preface." It opens with simple string plucks overlaying a snapping percussion loop. A rolling piano melody enters with Johnston's synthesized and harmonized vocals, adding to richness of the music.

One of the best songs is "Last Night Of The Dynasty." It opens with sharp horns that are played over subdued rattling percussion with a hollow kick. Low piano notes enter with Julie Anne Sgroi's sweet vocals, as the song adopts a mellow tone. Soft bell notes play along with various synth sounds in the background.

According to his MySpace, Story of a City is based on Shanghai's tale at the turn of the 20th century – a step forward from the '30s Shanghai jazz that influenced his first album. Keeping stride with his album's theme, Liang has himself progressed, creating a soothing set of aurally pleasing songs that sets a new standard in the genre he invented.

In Theaters: 'The Eye'

Jessica Alba plays Sydney, a blind violinist who receives a cornea transplant that helps her see for the first time in 15 years.

But she soon discovers that there's more than meets the eye when she starts to see dead people.

Based on the 2002 Hong Kong movie of the same name, "The Eye" is the latest in Hollywood's long line of Asian-movie remakes. While most of these reinterpretations are absent of the original's essence, directors David Moreau and Xavier Palud stay true to the storyline. While the exaggerated horror build-up music is overused and some questions remained unsolved, its interesting premise and simple, straightforward storytelling creates a mildly entertaining, uncomplicated viewing experience.

Despite Moreau and Palud's effort, "The Eye" is not a horror movie. It wasn't in the 2002 Hong Kong version and it isn't now. It moves more like a psychological thriller since Sydney is the only one who is directly affected by this. But it seems like every couple of minutes, the rising orchestral sounds enter, building up to nothing. After 20 minutes, the effect becomes washed out.

There were many plot sequences that raised questions, but were ultimately left answered. In one scene Sydney ends up at a burned down Chinese restaurant, but there's no reason why she was there. True it was an element to show that she could see dead people, but so were about half a dozen other scenes before it.

However the movie's premise is interesting and the directors' told it in a way that draws the audience into the film. Rather than trying to complicate matters by adding elaborate backstories to flesh out the characters, they accepted the story as what it is: a woman gets an eye implant, sees dead people and wants to know why. No sappy love stories, no forced family dilemmas, just a straightforward plot-driven story.

"The Eye" is by no means a masterpiece, but it's not supposed to be. It's engaging and stays relatively faithful as a remake to a solid film – that's about all that can be asked. And if nothing else, Jessica Alba provides nice eye candy.

In Theaters: 'Summer Palace'

Yu Hong's just a small-town girl, living in a lonely world. But when she leaves to go to a university in Beijing in the fall of 1988, she meets her lover, Zhou Wei, and her life completely changes.

Director Lou Ye ("Purple Butterfly") follows the story of the young couple's relationship amid the backdrop of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests in "Summer Palace." Drawing parallels between Yu's sexual exploration and China's political system, Ye creates an intriguing character case study with socio-political undertones. While certain parts of the film dawdles, its unhurried pace is an inviting lull as the characters' growth and regressions unravel onscreen.

Serving as both a strength and a weakness, the film's gradual pace produces a slice-of-life tone. Certain scenes, such as those building the relationship between Zhou and Yu, overstay their welcome. It's one thing to show them riding bikes together, but it becomes monotonous when they just keep going. But more often than not, the tempo allows viewers to absorb the movie.

The backbone of the film resides in its ordinary, yet complex characters. Yu, played by Lei Hao, is confused about what she wants in life, leading to rash decisions that affect others in her life. At times it's difficult to understand her off-beat mindset, but therein lies her charm.

"Summer Palace" is a captivating, albeit slow film into Yu's and Zhou's worlds. This isn't a feel-good movie, nor is it one that is dark and depressing. Rather it's a viewing into the lives of intricate individuals who are trying to figure out who they are in this world.

In Theaters: 'Rambo'

"Rambo" can best be described in two words: Blow'd up.

Rather than crafting a well thought-out script, Sly Stallone decided that John Rambo's latest adventure should just be about blood, violence and things getting blow'd up.

Not that there's anything wrong with that. In fact, the 93-minute flick is like a shoot-em-up video game, jam packed with badass action sequences where Rambo and his band of mercenaries slaughter the evil Burmese soldiers.

True, the acting's bad, the dialogue's lame and the violence is graphic – in one scene, Rambo rips out one of the bad guy's throat – but it's exactly what's expected when coming into a new Rambo movie.

No longer is John Rambo struggling with the notion that he was trained to be a killing machine. Instead he accepts and seemingly embraces it. It's who he is, and with that it makes for a much more entertaining viewing.

"Rambo" is not a piece of art; It's a guilty pleasure. It's nonstop action and over-the-top violence. And in the middle of Oscar season, it's a welcome mind-numbing breather in between watching the heavy, thought-proviking nominees.

Album review: Jinx, schminx, ‘We Brave Bee Stings And All’ shows sophomore success

Superstitions hold no power over Thao Nguyen.

In the Virginia-raised singer-songwriter’s second studio album, We Brave Bee Stings And All, Nguyen avoids the dreaded sophomore jinx and creates a body of work that far surpasses her initial endeavor. Her intricate lyrics and toe-tappinig melodies are laced across the 11-track alt-folk rock compilation.

The album opens with “Beat (Health, Life And Fire),” featuring Nguyen’s breathy, sustained vocals that lead sweet marxophone plucks over marching snares. Simple electronic guitar riff and a subdued trombone complement, creating a fully bodied sound.

“Yes, So On And So On” is a tranquil tune with simple guitar strums and piano hits lazily carrying the melody. Her lyrics about learning life’s lessons are among the best on the CD: “Loved large enough / To want to shrink / Been dumb enough / To start to think.”

The best song on the album is the chipper “Bag of Hammers.” Its bright, light-hearted guitar plucks and soft beat-boxing, produce a foot-stomping cadence over soothing euphony. But Nguyen’s lyrics invoke images of a scorned woman coming out of a relationship: “And as sharp as I sing / As sharp as I sting / It still soothes you doesn’t it / Like the lick of ice cream.”

Some artists struggle to produce anything worth listening to after their debut, but like a banjo-wielding bard slaying a high-level boss, Nguyen has leveled up and refined her skills in We Brave Bee Stings And All. The album’s thoughtful, melodic poetry carries the same impact no matter how many times they’re heard.

For more information about Thao with the Get Down Stay Down, visit http://www.thaomusic.com.

Album review: 'Slanted Eyes, Slanted Hearts' is a pleasing blend of old-school dance style and modern elements

It's been about two decades since synthpop was at the height of its popularity and groups such as Depeche Mode and New Order were leading the charge.

Just don't tell that to The Slants.

The Portland, Ore.-based band brings back the old-school electronic sound in their debut album, Slanted Eyes, Slanted Hearts. Taking the traditionally synthesizer-heavy music, they infuse rock and punk elements with a bit of Asian flare to produce an aurally captivating 11-track compilation.

Playing off their Asian theme, the album opens with the dance track, "Sakura Sakura." It begins with koto plucks that play the traditional Japanese folk song. Drum beats enter and slowly speed up until rich synths and electric guitars take over. Lead singer Aron Moxley's belts out heavy lyrics about overcoming discrimination in the CD's most racially charged song: "We sing for the Japanese and the Chinese/ and all the dirty knees, can you see me?/ We sing in harmony."

In "Haruki Murakami," Jen Cho reads an excerpt from one of the Japanese author's pieces. The passage is laid over echoing bell strikes, bright synths and bassy hums. It segues into the next track, "Love Within My Sins," which featuring a melodic bassline and sweet harmonies by Cho and Moxley.

The best song on the album is the catchy "Kokoro (I Fall To Pieces)." It begins with a percussive medley of kicks as a simple bassline enters. Hollow, resonating hits make up the melody as Moxley's vocals enter. The song's wide variety of sounds creates a rich blend that fills aural spectrum.

While most new bands require a grace period before being able to produce a cohesive sound, The Slants – who formulated their lineup in early 2007 – sound like they've been playing together for years. Slanted Eyes, Slanted Hearts is a rich collection of head-nodding, feet-stomping dance tracks that will attract old and new synthpop fans alike.

Three and a half stars out of four. For more information, visit http://www.theslants.com.