OMG!!! After the great deception when I saw the entire Sitges 2008 film program with the two great asian absences:
Ponyo on the Cliff, by Hayao Miyazaki (Studio Ghibli), and
Achilles and the Tortoise, by Takeshi Kitano ---the third and final part of his autodestruction-as-an-artist trilogy, after Takeshis' and Glory to the Filmmaker!---
i can confirm that finally, one of them, the Ghibli one, is featured in Sitges 2008!!! :)
I have already bought the tickets for one of the unique two sessions, tomorrow Saturday 11th at 17:15, as "surprise session 1" (damn filth program, the Ghibli movie was really a secret!!). But I'm glad, I will be able to see it :)
So, the neural massacre part 2 (that means, Sitges 2008 XD) will be composed by 26 movies, not 25 as said in the previous post :P I hope that the Kitano movie will be able featured soon by Casa Asia, or in BAFF 2009 as the last chance :S
Stay tuned to this Lair of Freak Shadows, poor mortals; I will publish soon the Sitges 2008 chronicles, together with the BAFF 2008 one :P And I can tell you now that they won't be short posts ---as usual XDDDD---.
read more...
Hello everybody!! Finally, after a little period of rest, meditation, and obviously, passing the time with my beauty jewel ---even, by almost accomplishing at the same time five marvelous months of happiness---, there are some news in the Lair of Shadows!!! I have achieved the degree of Computer Science together with a Master in Computing, specialized in Computer Graphics. And I got an 'A' for my thesis' qualification :D:D:D:D
So, although I haven't got more than 3 holiday days, I will ber able to enjoy an important event: those who have been visiting this blog since the beginning, all of you already know my hobby: I'm a fanatic of peculiar movies (gore, horror, anime, sci-fi...), mainly those coming from Asia; and then, the Sitges Film Festival has come back again in 2008 with its 41th edition, from 2 to 12 of October!!! And, before publishing the chronicles of the last BAFF edition (in the last May, when my life was improved till unknown boundaries with the help of my recently discovered jewel :P), I will put online the films I will see in this festival ---however, the BAFF chronicles are already written in catalan, I only have to translate them to english, but I've been busy these last months due to my Master Thesis---.
For the moment, there are 25 movies with the dubtous honor of being seen by my eyes XD From Asia, but also from USA and UK and France ---this last one is being acclaimed of the most important country within Europe in terms of gore and horror movies since the great 'A l'interieur', featured on the last Sitges Festival Edition (see here)---, there are interesting movies as the last masterpiece of Mamoru Oshii, the great epic movies about Genghis Khan or the China's Dark Ages, the David Lynch's daughter first movie, or even the free-versioned animated version of the recently mentioned 'A l'interieur', entitled 'from inside', or the interesting movie about a space navy, used as asylum; besides, a greek movie about a curiousr looping-time. But I don't want to wait more; let's the movie list, ordered by Day and Session:
And that's all, it will be horrible in terms of free-time but I'm sure of enjoying the time will be in Sitges, another time. The only thing I'm lamenting is the price of this journey: more than 180€ in tickets, and I haven't taken in account the food and the trains... but it's only once per year, and it will be my holidays this year... yahoooooooooooo!!
Stay tuned, poor mortals... I promise to publish the BAFF chronicles, and a little brief of every movie seen in this edition of Sitges, as well as done for the last edition. See you soon!!!! :) read more...
Wow, today Ignis Lacrima has reached the visit number #2100!!! Thank you all to you poor mortals, who enter the blog for reading... not much in this last times... :S I apologize for that, but my master thesis is absorving all my time and energy, and when I have an hour, I only want to go out far from the Mac...
Nevertheless, on September the 8th I will deliver the documentation, so I hope to be happier from this day ---though the presentation and last codelines won't be developed yet...---; I only wish you, the rest of poor mortals, were having a good holidays, and I will come back, sure :)
Hello poor mortals!!!!! Yes, the blog has been "a little" forgotten by me, the humble priest of Hefestus; it even seemed that I tasted my own medicine since I was also declarated as "poor mortal", but [geek-gag]Ignis Lacrima is not strongly tipificated at all XD [/geek-gag] so I've returned but only for a while :P
I apologize for this huge lag of news, but I've been (and I'm still) plenty of job because of:
the research project in voice generation I'm involved in,
my master thesis about generic deformation and cutting of 3D models,
and over everything, because I found a precious jewel in the middle of the typical lonely time: a beauty gem composes now a great part of my whole existence and now, I waste my free time in expecting and enjoying this gem ;) ---Oh, sorry if you hadn't understood anything; those who have to understand they surely already did it :P---
Well, after this "little" introduction, let's go with the new post of Ignis Lacrima, this time about informatics, and more focused, about mp3 music. I maybe the only one who is worried about this affair, but as a fan of film scores, new age soundscapes and symphonic metal music, it's typical for some consequent album tracks to be musically connected, and it maybe be annoying. What can we do to solve this?
The first solution (and the more logical) is: if anyone wants to have a physical (or logical, better said XD) unique mp3 file with these connected music, the mp3 compression of the cd must be customized in terms of:
selecting multiple tracks (those that are musically connected),
and compressing them in one file (it's possible with the awesome software CDEx Beta for Windows, http://cdexos.sourceforge.net/).
But, what about this new culture of music adquisition based on mp3 music directly?? (i.e., buying it from iTunes Store, or cheaper, using P2Pprograms for non-capitalist-reason adquisition :P); yes, there is great software, like MP3 Workshop for Windows (http://www.iolfree.ie/~mp3workshop/, but it's shareware :S), that allows to recompress mp3 files joining multiple mp3 files in a unique file. But here is the negative part of this method: the recompression.
Broadly (and non exactly but easy for a first contact; if you want to know everything, please visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MP3), the mp3 compression is based on remove inaudible (or hardly audible) frequency components of the music:
filtering them in a Fourier analysis,
with a subsequent coherent formant removal,
and later, a Fourier recomposition of the capped signal;
So, if you recompress a mp3 file, although the recompression is in the same bps quality, the sound quality loses a lot of degrees. Then, how to join multiple mp3 files without losing quality?
The solution is the simple file packaging. The MP3 format is strong and robust, so please notice that, if you are downloading mp3 music, you can listen the song although it has not been completely downloaded. Following this nature, you can listen mp3 songs contained in a package file subsequently like it was a simple mp3 file (so, you only have to include the mp3 files in the package coherently). And there's an incredible advantage with this method, apart of the no-recompression: file packaging permits to unpack the files onto separate mp3 files if you want, so a backup of the separated files is not necessary.
Some of you, poor mortals, maybe will find this utility quite useless... but for me, who am always playing music with the "shuffle" option of my iPod Nano, is very useful :D
And that's for all, poor mortals!!! You can find below the instructions for doing this in Windows and UNIX systems; it's surely very easy to do, let's try it :) Please stay tuned to the Lair of Penumbrae (yes, it was the Lair of Shadows and Darkness, but the complaints must be redirected to the previously cited gem :P), see you soon!!! :)
Windows Method
Install the WinRAR software;
Then, select in the order you want to be joined the mp3 files you want to join;
Right click on the selection, and select the WinRAR option ''add to file...'';
In the new appeared window, edit the destiny filename and change the "rar" extension to "mp3" extension, and select "storage" in the "compression method menu".
Just click OK, et voilà! You have a mp3 file really playable by any MP3 player (iTunes, Winamp, Amarok). And if you open this "mpe fake file" with WinRAR, you will see the original songs, and you will be able to extract it normally :)
Unix Method (Linux, MacOsX, Solaris...)
By using the OS terminal console, go to the path of these mp3 files you want to pack;
Using the TAR utility, type "tar -cvf packed_file.mp3 song1.mp3 song2.mp3 ... songN.mp3"
Et voilà! The connected mp3 file is finally created. And for unpacking the file, simply type "tar -xvf packed_file.mp3"
Hello poor mortals!!!!! Before starting my personal impressions about BAFF 2008, the Barcelona Asian Film Festival, I've decided to do the periodical update of the blog's MP3 player, Echoes of Metal.
Hence, 3 new songs, (although one of them is really a replace song), offering 17 new metal minutes; as usual, all three songs are available in each band's own MySpace webpage, so that songs are totally legal. And also as usual, the new number of pieces is a primer number too: 19 songs.
The first one, the replacing song, is Triumph or Agony, the entitling song from the last album of the italian well-known band Rhapsody Of Fire; the other two songs are composed and performed by two classic brazilian heroes: Angra (with Ego Painted Grey, included in their last album, Aurora Consurgens), and the demigodAndré Matos (with his new masterpiece, Letting Go, from his first solo album, Time To Be Free).
I hope the metal fans visiting this site will be able to enjoy these three great songs. For those non-metaller visitors... nevermind XD but it could be a great idea for discovering three new songs with a peculiar musicallity ;)
Stay tuned, geek mortals, BAFF chronicles are going to appear soon ;) But for the moment, new music for your ears. See you soon!!!!
Hello geek mortals!!!! From yesterday, and till the next sunday (not tomorrow but the May 4th :P), the Barcelona Asiatic Film Festival is on the stage of the city!!! This is the 10th edition of this festival (that means, this is a prestigious event, although some people can't believe that :P), and the special guest country is Hong Kong, the most impressive noir asiatic factory, from where the hollywood-exportedJohn Woo learned everything he knows :)
So, as I did with Sitges 2007 Festival, I'm going to see several movies (not 30 but 13 this time XD), and of course, a review of every movie will be psoted in the blog (the chronicle will be probably scheduled on two posts, apart from this preamble).
There are movies from Japan, China and South Corea mainly, but as it's previsible, Hong Kong has a special place on my preferences list, with some movies of my adored Johnnie To and others (however, it'll be impossible for me to see Made in Hong Kong, projected only on sunday afternoon... :(
Therefore, as the preamble of this BAFF 2008 and with the (easily deceived :P) hope of some one getting motivated for some movies I will see (thanks for coming on wednesday Anna!! muaa :P and of course, also to Gammateruo, my preferred asiatic-film-mate, since I'm sharing the vision of lot of films :D), I'm going to publish the list of movies I'll see, the theatre where the projection will be, and the starting time, everything ordered by day :)
> Friday, April 25th
22:30, Aribau Club 2: ASSEMBLY (JIJIEHAO) (Feng Xiaogang; China, 2007)
> Saturday, April 26th
17:00, Aribau Club 1: SAD VACATION (SADDO BAKESHON) (Shinji Aoyama; Japan, 2007)
19:45, Aribau Club 1: SECRET SUNSHINE (MYRYANG) (Lee Chang-Dong; South Corea, 2007)
> Sunday, April 27th
22:15, CCCB Auditori: FANTASTIC PARASUICIDES (FANTASTIC JA-SAL-SO-DONG) (Park Soo-Young, Jo Chang-Ho, Kim Sung-Ho; South Corea, 2007)
> Monday, April 28th
19:30, CCCB Auditori: POWERFUL FOUR (SI DA TAN ZHANG) (David Lam; Hong Kong, 1991)
22:15, Cinema Maldà: ON THE EDGE (HAK BAK DO) (Herman Yau; Hong Kong, 2006)
> Tuesday, April 29th
19:00, Cinema Maldà: DEVILS ON THE DOORSTEP (GUIZI LAI LE) (Jiang Wen; China, 2000)
22:00, Cinema Maldà: MY LIFE AS MCDULL (MAK DAU GOO SI) (Toe Yuen; Hong Kong, 2001)
> Wednesday, April 30th
22:00, Cinema Maldà: RUNNING OUT OF TIME (AM ZIN) (Johnnie To; Hong Kong, 1999)
> Friday, May 2nd
17:30, Aribau Club 1: FUNUKE SHOW SOME LOVE, YOU LOSERS! (Yoshida Daihachi; Japan, 2007)
20:00, CCCB Auditori: THE MISSION (CHEUNG FO) (Johnnie To; Hong Kong, 1991)
19:30, Aribau Club 1: ALIENTO (SOOM) (Kin Ki-Duk; South Corea, 2007)
And that's all, when the Kim Ki-Duk will end, BAFF will also end for me this year; yes, the next day there are also some projections, but I must filter a lot of movies because of my Master Thesis and the Research Project I'm involved in; too much things to do, and so little mount of hours per day :S Anyway, for the moment, I've seen Assembly and my impression is pretty awesome, a very good movie!!!! And today, two movies (Sad Vacation and Secret Sunshine), and OMG!!! the film director of the first one will be present on the theatre introducing us to the movie and at the end, a public questions round!!! :D I'm so excited, I love this kind of festivals!!! :)
Come on people, let's enjoy BAFF!!! Life is poorly 4 days: working on 2, sleeping on 1, and dropping tears on the rest one... so, watching a non-standard movie in original sound version and subtitled in spanish can't be worse than the own life, no? :) C u, poor mortals!! Stay tuned on the Lair of Tears of Fire, where darkness becomes bright by the luminance of the sadness' flames!! read more...
Oh, the Day of Holy Patron of Catalonia, my dear nation, has arrived!! Saint George, or Sant Jordi in catalan, is also the valentine day for catalan people, but extrapolated to more than passionate love: everybody is able to offer a gift (tipically, a rose for the girls, and a book for the boys) to a loved person, and not only the fallen-in-love one (that is, in my case, a rose for my mom, or any female friend :P); however, there is always a person more special than the others... and then... well, you know XD
Really I've found this inspiring bloody rose travelling through google images... a beauty metaphore of the pain behind the cruel beauty, I think... it can be seen simply as the blood of the dragon, but if we thinking in dragon as avarice or cruelty, its blood can be the symbol of the vestiges of these concepts, this rose is the most sincere expression of the dark side underlying love, joy and desire...
I must admit that I've tried to do a drabble based on this image, but I'm plenty of work and after thinking about the concept during 15 minutes, I've rejected the idea... besides, observing the acclaiming feelings because of my drabbles (hundreds and hundreds of comments, full of great reflections and sensations w.r.t. them... ¬¬), the urgent work has won the hobby.
The Legend of Sant Jordi is well known for everybody: Silca, a town in Libia (although in Catalonia is everything placed in Montblanc town), menaced by a furious dragon living in a closer lake, must offer one maiden per month, and when the king's daughter is the chosen one for be the draogn's lunch, Saint George arrives to the town, and kills the dragon, saving the people. Then, the blood of the dragon to the ground provoques the rise of roses in the meadows. However, not everybody will know that Saint George didn't kill the dragon in the first attack, he only hurted it. Then, he carried the creature till the town entrance, and demmanding the baptism of the entire town; else, he would liberate the dragon. Nice boy, isn't he? ¬¬
But at the same time, and conmemorating the death of two genious, Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare, this day is also the Day of the Book (at least in catalonia), so, if you are able to dodge the merchandising spirit of this day, Sant Jordi is a nice festivity, enjoying the happiness of the others, watching glad couples (she with a rose and he with a book), and thinking about the good sensation should be of receiving a book... and the hiding of real feelings of the lonely people... so romantic (including the bright and the dark side of the romanticism...)
Have a nice day of Sant Jordi, poor mortals, and please, enjoy the experience of reading books!!! It's very worthy, although I'm not able to read as fast as I'm by¡uying new books XD ooops :P And, as I said a few posts ago: life is like a rose; if you want it, you will prick with its thorns. read more...
Well, poor mortals, here's my second drabble. Since this is more complex than the first one, but it's true it's maybe not so emotive w.r.t. the previous... I hope there will be someone that will find the four classical reading senses (according to Dante Alighieri et al) in this text: literal, moral, metaphoric and anagogic... if then, and however of this, the text likes you, I'll feel glad for this :) I'll promise to try to offer drabbles with the four reading senses as always as I will able to ;) Just like that, this short text can became a special experience for those who want to read beyond the words... It's moments like these that make me feel disgraced. Although the end of war is far away, this battle has finished. Surrounded by fallen weapons; buried in flesh; sunken in blood. But nothing is mine; I've received no attack. So, spitting someone else's blood and removing viscera, I arise and look around. Now I'm conscious of the truth: I'm the only survivor. Eveything I desire is dead or too much far from me. I've serve the Empire but I don't feel so lucky; I don't know what to do. How can I go with Mitra? Am I really a winner?read more...
Absolutely magical metal night that I lived on January the 15th; I have no words for describing the brilliant musical experience offered by the ministers of Power Metal, Gamma Ray and Helloween, joined in the Hellish Rock 07-08 tour. A total of 5 hours and a half of metal (4 and a half real hours if the mid-times for modifying the scenario between the bands ern't counted), the following day I was very very deaf, and I felt in the same way as a truck passing over me repeatly (because of the non-stop headbanging and jumping :P), but it had been really a must-be experience :D
While I was in the queue, I listened to Blast from the Past (the until-2000 Gamma Ray greatest hits) and Gambling with the Devil (the last masterpiece from Helloween :P), I had a good idea about carrying my iPod Nano with me for awaiting 2 hours and a half to enter (although it was because of a bad organization, there were 2 official concert starting times, 18:30 and 19:30, and there was finally the last one... :S).
But the moment arrived, and all the hordes of metal entered to the Razzmatazz1, plenty of people (oh, a good new!! this concert (ALL the concert) was recorded for a future DVD!! so, it will be possible to see me in a devil-possessed mood XD). So, let's go with the supporting band, Axxis, and subsequently, Gamma Ray and the last one, Helloween. The final concert of the saga that i entitled a few months ago The Poker of Pumpkins :)
* Part I: Axxis; or when the audience is already becoming with the supporters...
It's true that Axxis was a deluxe band for being only a supporter, but within the half an hour of their performance, people was transforming themselves onto a savage mood, and like the vocalist said through the microphone, "OMG!! We are only the supporters!!!"; simply impressive XD Another anecdotic thing was that the singer talked us in catalan!! reading from a paper, but it was a nice point!!! Thank you Bernhard!!! :D
But well, I must concentrate on the setlist, mustn't I? :P With a bombastic intro (Voices from Destiny), the concert was conducted to the first metal song, Doom of Destiny. I didn't know about this band, and I enjoyed (although not in the same degree than the savage hordes of razzmatazz :P) their concert, specially when they played Blood Angel andthe potent as long as easily chorusable Kingdom of the Night :) About 30 minutes of good metal while the singer offered us his peculiar style of dancing XD simply amusing :P
Axxis setlist (about 0:40:00):
Voices from Destiny (Intro)
Doom of Destiny (Arabia)
Tales of Glory Island
Blood Angel
Little Look Back
Kingdom of the Night
Pros: the spectacular receivement of people to this band, and the mutual connection; good concert at all :)
Cons: I didn't know anything about this band for the time of concert, and now I'm sorry for this...
Best Track:Blood Angel
* Part II: Gamma Ray; the ministry of classic power metal with no complex
I must say again that, although Gamma Ray and Helloween are more than 20 years old as bands, I've never seen them in a live concert, so only the experience of being in front of a scenario where the two ministers (and creators) of Power Metal were going to join the same tour, was incredible :) And besides, the performance of the two german bands were fantastic :P
It's true that the tour was commanded by Helloween (their scenario was the most complex w.r.t. the two others), but Gamma Ray hadn't the role of supporters but special guests, so, if Axxis had their half an hour for offering us their songs, Gamma Ray had more than the double of time: more than hour and a quarter.
The show began, as a ritual, with Welcome, the intro of their first album, Heading for Tomorrow. And then, the first thunder song, from their new masterpiece Land of the Free II: Into the Storm, the first song of the album :P Effective riffs, 4-minute song plenty of energy, and Kai Hansen with good qualities during the first part of the setlist and really enjoying the audience, chorusing every melody arising from his mouth through all the concert. And after this song, a classic piece: Heaven Can Wait. From so on, the Razzmatazz were transformed to a pressure cook until the last song of Helloween setlist finished, absolutely terrible, but very nice too XD
The negative point of Gamma Ray is, inexplicably, they didn't perform Land of the Free, and I can't understand the reason, because in Madrid concert it was in the setlist!! T_T holy shit! I think they simply forgot to perform reading the setlist on-line, because... you guys, you were in the tour of Land of the Free II, waht about don't performing the entitling song Land of the Free!!!aaaaaaargh... Although this, there were great moments in the concert, e.g.: when they played the powerful song From the Ashes from their new album, a magnificient performance of one of (in my opinion) the bests songs of LOTF2.
After that, Real World, and then the second part (the classic part) of the concert began, and of course, with the masterpiece of Hansen, included in the first part of Land of the Free album: Rebellion on Dreamland. When the first acoustic guitar notes began to sound, the ovation of people was simply unforgettable; I was waiting for this moment, and it deserved all my expectings... Kai in state of grace, the band absolutely brilliant during all the 9-minute song, and the entire audience in the role of the choir in the chorus section while the headbanging didn't stop!! For rebeeeellion!! Revoluuuuution!! Halleluuuyaaah!! For rebeeeeeliooon!! uaaaaaaaa what a moment :P simply magic for me :D The video of this song, pitifully, is not from Barcelona but from Antwerp (Belgium) :(
And then, the turn of another classic songs, like Heavy Metal Universe, where Hansen played with us the chorus section Heavy MetalUniveeeeeerse!!! at the end of the song; curious thing, it was successful and nice XD the next, the powerful Ride the Sky, with the best high-pitched notes from Kai Hansen with their vocal chords much more relaxed after performing classic songs where are really the people who sing the songs :P Somewhere Out in Space was the chosen one for finishing the concert before the bis, Send Me a Sign, which was the real last song from Gamma Ray (or not? read Helloween chronicle for more info, mwaaaahahahahahaha)
Gamma Ray setlist (about 1:20:00):
Intro: Welcome
Into the Storm
Heaven can Wait
New World Order
Fight
Empress
From the Ashes
Real World
Rebellion on Dreamland
Heavy Metal Universe
Ride the Sky
Somewhere Out in Space
Send Me a Sign
Pros: all the concert, Kai was full of energy and the rest of the band connected very well with the audience; everybody enjoyed the setlist, this is really clear.
Cons: they didn't perform Land of the Free... o_O I can't understand this decision :S I'd like to hear the fast and great Man on a Mission and Tribute to the Past too...
Best Track:Rebellion in Dreamland, because it was the first time I was in a Gamma Ray concert and the atmosphere covering this song is absolutely special.
* Part III: Helloween; or when Andi Deris finally found its place beside Michael Kiske and not behind...
Before starting this chronicle, I consider that I have to say a few words about Andi Deris: yes, he is NOT Michael Kiske, he will never sing like him, and so, Andi won't be never able to sing the classic Keeper songs like Michi; however, I think Andi isn't bad singer, he has achieved his own style of singing (i.e.: listen to Kill It or The Bells of 7 Hells from Gambling with the Devil and you will understand what I'm referring to), and I also think he has found a good way of singing the Kiske songs with its style, without trying to emulate Michael's powerful voice. It's like Edu Falaschi singing old Angra songs... he is not Andre Matos, but he don't punish the songs!!! They are different singers with different vocal ranges, it's only that. And the old songs are a must-have in every concert, it's like a ritual...
Well, once said this, I will afirm that Andi Deris was very tidy and he take too much support on the audience in some parts of the concert, and altgough he don't affinate well some high-pitched notes of some songs (e.g.: March of Time), but equally he did a splendid work (listen to A Tale that wasn't Right video and you will be able to build your own opinion respect to that). However, the setlist was supporting too much songs from the three Keeper of the Seven Keys albums (I don't think this is a bad idea, but for the sake of the god, why didn't you perform more songs from your new album?? Only three!!! I can't understand it, in my opinion Gambling with the Devil is a very good album, with a huge personallity, and Kill It would be a great song for a live performance... is it maybe too much difficult to sing that high-pitched notes, Andi? Oh my god...).
Anyway, I must talk about the show XD after the spoken intro of Gambling album, the concert began with a short song... the classic Halloween!! wooooooow, the classic 13-minute song for beginning the concert!! Here Andi did a very good high-pitched notes, although it's true that audience sang much more than Andi himself XD maybe because of that he achieved well the high notes of the chorus melody :P
After that, a classic song, but now from Deris' age... Sole Survivor, from the first masterpiece with Andi Deris as the singer, Master of the Rings. And the next song, another classic Kiske age song, March of Time (although here Andi wasn't so inspired like in Halloween... but apart of this, a very good song :D I was glad because I could listening it live :D).
Half an hour had passed, and then, there was the moment of the first Gambling song, the single, As Long as I Fall (available nowadays from my own mp3 player of the blog, Echoes of Metal). The audience received the song very well, strange thing because it has a huge amount of detractors :S (I really like it, although it's very similiar to If I Could Fly :P); and then, the classid ballad from the Keepers, A Tale that wasn't Right, perfectly executed by a Andi Deris in state of grace (see the video for a clear example of it :P).
And now the turn of the second song from Gambling, the powerful Paint a New World. I would prefer The Saints, but this is also a good song :P Perfectly executed, this fast song arise energy from all the audience, although the connection wasn't as full as with other songs...
The next thing was the most incredible show I've ever seen in a metal concert... during the drum solo of my admired Dani Löble (although the solo was maybe too long...), a small scenario was rosen over the real scenario, from where entered Deris, Grosskopf and Gerstner, customized like dwarves!!!hahahahahahahahahaha simply hilarious!! And with a filtered voice (like the smurphs XD), these strange dwarfoween band performed (with a guitar toys!! XD) the classic song Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple... unforgettable moment, eternalized by this video... they are must-seen images!! And the grand finale, Weikath with an UCI killing the dwarves, tired of their poor voices!! XDDDDDDDD
After this carzy show, the second (and last) long song, the opening masterpiece for the Keeper of the Seven Keys: The Legacy, the great 14-minute song King for a 1000 Years, impecably performed, and with a relaxed Deris that did a perfect work with this song, including the high-pitched final minute ending (I'm not able to sing something like this, oh my god!! not for the notes, but for the octave ascension progression, too much sharp :S). Like in Halloween, audience gave a very good feedback to the band, chorusing the melodies and headbanging all the solos and instrumental interludiums :) Here I must do a special mention to Sascha Gerstner, the new guitarist, now much more in the spectacle line than Weikath himself (strange, being a former band member with Gamma Ray's Hansen and Grosskopf :S).
Afer this long sounding circuit where all the band members can offer the audience proofs of their hability with their instrument, there was the turn for another classic song, or better said, a hymn for Helloween, Eagle Fly Free!! A song that Deris has achieved to perform with a his own style and has even arranged the chorus section for not be accused to try to cemulate Michael Kiske. However, Andi couldn't be well heard XD all the people followed all the melodies and lyrics and I don't really know if the singer's performance was good or not XD (I was in the fifth row, 5 or 6 meters close to the scenario :P)
And then, the turn of the most powerful song of Gambling with the Devil, with the same riff than in Occasion Avenue (hehehe): The Bells of the 7 Hells!!!
I must admit I was possessed by the devil itself in the time of this song, I really love it :$ Very well sung, very well performed with a middle part of the audience singing the chorus melody ([...]we ring the beeeells, of the seven heeeeells!!), and Dani Löble did an excellent job in drums (specially in the double bass, very complex in this song!!), as he really did within the entire concert (I love this drummer, he is a crack!!).
Then, Helloween chose to perform If I Could Fly... well, I'm not able to find anything special to this song (now all Helloween fans are wanting to kill me XD), but, apart of this, I can't understand how they performed this song when its clone, As Long As I Fall, was also performed (with an entire hour of diference, it's true, but I don't still understand this decision :S). Besides, in live performances Deris decides to sing this song more high-pitched than in the recording, and sincerely, I prefer the recording version :S Quite strange moment, really... but the final regular song, another classic fromthe original Keepers, was easily able to encourage me to return to the savage headbanging and singing: Dr. Stein, another masterpiece song (although Andi Deris performed it too much strangely; it's clear that he's not able to sing the chorus section, but his arrange is not so good as the original :S).
A pause with no Helloween band members in the scenario and the audience acclaiming their return, and finally, they appeared again, with Andi Deris dressed with a red discretejacket and a hatXD Ideal for singing Perfect Gentleman, who was introduced to the Medley they performed then. Apart from Perfect Gentleman, they joined Power, Where the Rain Grows, I Can, and for the grand finale, the ending of their classic Keeper of the Seven Keys. Oh My God, what en emotive moment when Andi started to say yooooouuuuu areeeeee.... Keeper of the Seves Keeeeyyyyyyysssss... simply amazing, uaaaaaaaaaaa...
The band went out when the medley finished, and then, the magical moment, the historical moment, the bis section everybody awaited for!!!! The returning of Helloween, but also with all the members (except Zimmermann the drummer) of Gamma Ray!! Wooooooooowwww, finally the legend had become reality: Kai Hansen playing again with their old band!!!! And what better songs to play than the high acclaimed themes Future World and I Want Out (although ---and I'm going to be tortured for all the horde fans of Helloween what I'm going to say :S--- I don't like I Want Out very much :S).
With a nice and rythmic choreography between Hansen and Weikath, the two both performed the solo of Future World at the same time, while Henjo Richter was enjoying very much, as long as the Helloween members were sharing the song notes and lyrics with Gamma Ray guys. And while this historical moment succeed, beach balls that were really pumpkins fell from the ceil, and people began to play with them XD incredible, what a grand finale for a huge concert (the most long I've been o_O).
Simply perfect, amazing, unforgettable, and mystic. A 10/10 concert :) And its' true, there were too much Keepers' songs in the Helloween setlist... but for me it wasn't a disappointment, because it was the first time of a Helloween concert, and just like that, it felt to me like a perfectanthology of Helloween, so I enjoyed it very much :D
Helloween setlist (about 2:15:00):
Gambling with the Devil (intro)
Halloween
Sole Survivor
March of Time
As Long as I Fall
A Tale that Wasn't Right
Paint a New World
(Drum Solo + Dwarves Show: Smoke on the Water)
King for a 1000 Years
Eagle Fly Free
The Bells of the 7 Hells
If I could Fly
Dr. Stein
Medley: I Can / Where the Rain Grows / Perfect Gentleman / Power / Keeper of the Seven Keys (finale)
Future World (with Gamma Ray)
I Want Out (with Gamma Ray)
Pros: absolutely everything, even the Kiske songs sung by Deris (yes, it won't be never like Kiske... but at least it gives a touch of its own personallity on the songs), the elves show, the sing-along on The Bells of 7 Hells, and of course, the grand finale with Gamma Ray on the scenario performing Future World and I Want Out. Sublime... maybe the sound could be better, but it sounded quite well :)
Cons: It's strange that, being a tour of their new album, only 3 new songs were played in teh concertr, with a setlist more concerned about the Keepers; why didn't they performed The Trinity in the complete idea (The Bells of Seven Hells, Fallen Into Pieces, I.M.E.) and Kill It! overcoat!! T_T. And more songs from Keeper of the Seven Keys: The Legacy would had been a great idea, like The Invisible Man or Silent Rain...
Best Track: Because of its long duration and the icnredible connection with the audience, King for a 1000 Years (also, it's one of my favourite songs of Deris' Helloween indeed :$).
Hello poor mortals!! Today I've been afraid of my dear iPod Nano (2nd generation) was broken :S But what a luck, it was only a strange behaviour of this Apple music player.
The wheel didn't work, so I couldn't travel through the menus and options :S At least, I'm always listening to music in shuffle mode, so the music variation was not a problem, but for the volume modification, it's a very huge problem! Auch my poor ears!! But now everything is working, so I decided to explain how I arranged this problem for avoiding unnecessary scares (and another thing as a bonus :P)
All occurred as follows: I was coming home at 2 pm, after my working time at Thermic Engine Laboratory, by foot as always :P So, I turned on the iPod, also as always XD although it's not interesting for this fact, the song was The Wizard's Last Rhymes, by Rhapsody (on their album Rain of a Thousand Flames), so I began to walk with this song sounding throgh my headphones.
But two minutes later, the song stops abruptly. I think it's a battery affair (because it was in a very low level), but no, when I press the button the iPod turned on again, but OMG! The song is pointed onto the beginning, and I already listened two minutes!! The stop action occurred because of the 2-minute-lag-auto-power-off, so although the music was on, iPOD was in pause mode :S very very strange, uooooo uoooooooooo
Nevertheless, the most strange thing was, as I said previously, that the wheel was doing nothing!! The embedded buttons were truly working but not the wheel. And, as I also mentioned, for travelling through the menus and changing de volume level, the wheel is a must-have!! :S
When it happens, you can be quiet: the iPod is not broken, it's only a strange bahaviur. For this kind of things, the reset command was created, so you only have to press action button (in the middle of the wheel) and menu button (upper one) for 6 seconds; iPOD will reset then, et voilà! Everything is working well :D
However, I'm famous for my very poor memory, so I didn't remember how the reset command was activated; hence, I arrived at home listening a too much high volume metal music, and I looked for this command by Google. And what a surprise, I founded some URLs about a secret iPOD menu, accessible through the reset mode :D It's enabled for iPod Nano and iPod Video (I ignore if it's also functional for the old iPod mini).
For avoiding heavy explanations w.r.t. this menu, I think it's better to see a video of someone accessing this menu, isn't true? :) So, let's go with the video!
Curious menu, it's a real diagnosis setup for video and audio and iPod testings!! I think it's very interesting for any owner of an iPod :) I hope you find it very useful :D (yes, I know this secret menu is not a real breaking new, but I discovered it today :$)
Metaphoric Hugs from The Dark Corridor, poor mortals!!! And remember... to fly is an illusion... but the falling is real... read more...
Well, poor mortals, the birth of my first drabble finally has come; my most sincere excuses if it's not as gothic as I promised a few posts ago ---when the visit counter reached the 1000 visits---, but I think it's at least in a great degree of own reflection mood... Its title is The Dark Corridor and I hope you will like it!!
So, I'll be waiting for your first impressions, suggestions and complaints for each drabble I offer you, my dear Death Road Transients, in form of comments hehehe. At last, I have to say that this drabble word counting has been executed in NeoOffice 2.2.2 ---the native mac OpenOffice port--- and it returns exactly 100 words.
I walk alone through a dark corridor. It's strange, I'm seeing the bright outside through a wall of unbreakable glass but there's no light over me. I can see people; my dear people: family, friends, those specialgirls... I can hear them, and wow! They can hear me!!! I'm talking with them, I'm accepted in this outer world!!! but I cannot achieve them. I'm reaching the pleasure of being loved but I can't taste nor touch this gift. I'm in a prison of feelings, I'm like a gargoyle: life and friendly in isolation, but exiled in the light of sensations.read more...
After several months from the first (and unique till now) review of Dark Passion Play CD from the finnish metal band Nightwish (a very heavy review, I admit it, but this album is not as good as the previous ones of these finnish people, and not only 'cause of the change on the leadsinger; you can see it here), there is now my second CD review of an album that I'm fallen in love with it, released the past august but only in Japan. Now, from February the 25th, this cd is on european stores.
The album is Time to Be Free, of the brazilian genius Andre Matos, and it's his first album on his new solo projet after his strange conflicts with his two previous bands, Angra and Shaman.
Section 1. Introduction
As fan of power metal and fan of those metal styles combining metal with folk instruments or even orchestra and/or choir (that means, metal bands like Rhapsody, Kamelot, Epica, Sonata Arctica, Helloween... from Italy, Finland, Germany overcoats), I must admit that in the last recent years only a few bands has marked a real difference in style, composition and capabilities, that is, nowadays there are a lot of bands that are clonics of another bands, with low amount of quality, or even no quality :S I.e., I'm referring to bands like the ucarinian Conquest or the italian Kaledon: good bands (I have their discographies in my iPod, indeed) but with no real personallity.
However, there are bands with a lot of spirit at its own. For example, Aquaria, a recent brazilian band with some Angra influences but with its own personallity. Another good bands appeared recently would be Irencros, from Italy, and Serenity from Austria, the two both with no innovations but with lot of perful energy (the spirit of Irencros, e.g., is its leadsinger, Giulio di Gregorio, an authentic wonder of voice with respect to its icnredible versatiliyy: gutural voice, lyric style, violent screaming and awesome high-pitched ranges; listen to The King is Dead for a taste); and another example would be Cellador, extreme power metal from Nebraska, USA, in the line of Dragonforce but without keboards... a very good band, where the oldest member in the recording year was 23 years old!!!
Nevertheless, there is a name who travels through some brazilian bands, an authentic magician of singing and composing: singer, compositor, pianist and orchestra conductor, he's brazilian and his name is Andre Matos. When he went out from the band who rose his name to the Heaven of Gods of Voice, Angra, he formed with the Mariutti Brothers another good brazilian band, Shaman. But again, a lot of differences with the members of the band provoques a separation, and now, Angra and Shaman are actually living bands but without Matos (although with its brilliant compositions...).
Now, maybe tired of so much music differences with musicians, he has started his solo project, that receives his name, of course. Again, the Mariutti Brothers are with him, and with Andre Hernandez and Eloy Casagrande, a versatile 17-year-old drummer. And this album is the real proof of that power metal is not died yet!!
Why? It's easy to explain: 10 songs (+ 1 splendid Menuettintroduction connected with the first real song), each one different of each others, each one with its own soul and energy, each one perfectly composed by Matos himself, each one with this kind of melodic lines that only Andre can sing in so awesome way... in one sentence: Andre Matos in state of grace and total freedom. Because of this, the title album cannot be better: Time to Be Free.
Section 2. The album review: the ''standard'' part The album begins with a classical introduction, a Menuett that will evoque some remembrances of Unfinished Allegro, the intro of Angels Cry, the opera prima of Angra 15 years ago. The Initial orchestra tuning, and then, violins, cellos, trombones and a harpsichord performing a precious melody that connects perfectly with the first masterpiece of the album: Letting Go. Still with the orchestra performing a Vivaldi-esque tremolo melody, the drums enter the scene with the cymbals in a fast correlation with the string tremolos.
And then, the piece itself begins, with a solid guitar riff, a brazilian-kind drum bridge, and Andre begins to sing. Really, this song can be compared to the classical song and masterpiece Carry On (the connection with the previously mentioned Unfinished Allegro on Angels Cry), like Here I Am, the first song in the first cd of Shaman (Ritual), after the tribal new age introduction Ancient Winds: motivative melody, incredible high-pitched notes in the B section of the main melody, and a long chorus section, impecable but worse than the melodic lines itself. Even the song structures of the three songs equivalent: ABABCDECC, being C the chorus section ---although in Letting Go is really ABABCDEFC, proof of the incredible compositive talent of Andre Matos---.
Church Organ and violins join the double drum bass and the guitar solos in a perfect way, and the diversity of tempos in the almost 7-minute-song (including Menuetto) builds an authentic masterpiece, the best song of the album (in composition career, with the album-titled song, Time to Be Free).
After this fast song, a mid-fast-tempo is offered on Rio, a very good song with the so loved for Matos brazilian tribal instruments in the interludium. A powerful song, simple but effective with that terrible guitar riffs and with an awesome chorus section, and a splendid high-pitched melody on the end of Matos part, minute and a half to the end of the song, preludium of the powerful fade out ending between violins, guitar and drums.
On the next, my favourite song in the album, Remember Why. Here Matos returns to pipes (as he already did in the Shaman album called Ritual, on Time Will Come) to construct a beauty melody at the beginning of the song, repeated by the guitar in the interludium. A fast power metal song with a beauty melody and one of the most precious chorus section I've ever heard (and pay attention to the church organ on the background chorus, with Bach-like chords composed and performed by Matos himself... simply AMAZING!!!), and another awesome high-pitched final melody almost impossible to perform (I've tried to sing that, and I have not enough air for the final note XD what a pity!!). Pay attention too on the guitar solo in the middle of the song, with baroque notes beautifully chosen. Deffinitely, another splendind song, complexly structured as ABBCADEFC.
The next song is How Long (Unleashed Away), more closer to heavy than to power metal. Newly again, evocative melodies emanated from Matos lips are offered to our ears after a strange breathing introduction with a powerful guitar riff and a mid-tempo drum rythm section. Maybe this song is so short (4:50 minutes only, when the mean song duration in this album is 6 minutes), when the intro and the outro of the song offers so much not-advantaged possibilities!! However, another excellent song :)
With Looking Back a different song is again sounding. A mid-tempo acoustic guitar rythm with a fast guitar solo with violins in the so classic interludium in almost each power metal song. I'm wondering why this song has this strange ending (it seems to continue but not... the song is over :S), in my opinion this provoque a cutting effect on the song. However, I ignore the aim of Matos, and he is the master :P It's true that this kind of ending, joined with the beginning of the ballad of the album, the next song, titled Face the End, stays quite well, but it's still so rare :S
This ballad is very beauty, overcoats in the second repetition of the melodic line after the first chorus section, with violins and guitars performing a stacatto background atmosfear more proper to soundtracks than to a metal song. And Matos, perfect as always. Beauty melody for a beauty song :)
Section 3. The album review: the ''experimental'' part Now the second part of the cd starts with the eigth track of the cd, the album-titled song, Time to Be Free. Until now, Matos offered us great songs with his personal career on composition, but standard on the metal music. From now, the experimental section begins. Time to Be Free is a long song (8:30 minutes) that offers low tempo and fast tempo sections as well, separating the melodic lines, chorus lines and interludiums. It's the most complex song on the album, it's trying to offer all the Matos facets in a single piece. Great song, not easily nice in the first listening, but a good song; this is because the structure is very peculiar: AABCDEBFCD, being D the chorus section. The final high-pitched note of Matos chorus line at the end of the song is simply awesome, during almost 20 seconds!!
Rescue is the next song. In my opinion, this is the most progressive song on the CD, with a 7/4 tribal flute section in the interludium and a non-standard drum composition, combining snare with cymbals and bass. I adore this song, because of the versatility of metal tempos joining tribal sounds and violins (more strange than in Rio, but but also more complex than in the second song), and a powerful chorus melody ascending in a single octave range on the repetition :P And even with gutural vocals!!!. This is, with no doubt, the most Shaman-like song in the album.
And now, the most geek song: A New Moonlight is the most complex and experimental song on this album. Arranged by Andre himself when he was 14 years old, and rearranged and reconducted now for this album, this song is an arrangement of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata with vocal sections closer to the well-known british rock band Queen, with its habitual choral sections also used in some Edguy songs, the german jesters of metal. Nine minutes length for tasting this authentic proof of talent.
And the last song is a splendid ending called Endeavour, a 7-minute-length song with two clear parts, the first one so fast and full energy, with great chorus melody, and final one, a real grand finale in a long fade out, consisting in a mid-tempo drum rythm with Matos executing incredible high-pitched melodies until the end of the song.
The Japanese edition includes also a bouns track, a cover song of band Journey, called Separate Ways. It's not a song made by Matos, and this can be easily advertised. The worst song in the album, but not a bad song at all.
As an overall review, I'm sure that this is the best album of 2008 (although it was really released on 2007 in Japan). I know that there are some months left for finishing this year, but I think it will be impossible to find an album so complex, so emotive, so beauty, so plenty of energy, and with a so much huge own spirit inside than this album of Andre Matos. All the CD is a masterpiece at all. A must-have album, simply brilliant.
Tracklist (1:09:33):
Menuett (0:48)
Letting Go (6:04)
Rio (6:00)
Remember Why (5:56)
How Long (Unleashed Away) (4:50)
Looking Back (4:56)
Face the End (5:12)
Time to Be Free (8:33)
Rescue (5:58)
A New Moonlight (8:56)
Endeavour (7:02)
Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) [Journey Cover, Japanese Bonus Track] (5:17)
Pros: everything. Cons: only 69 minutes XD. Best Track: in composing career, Letting Go; but for emotive and affinity, Remember Why, with no doubt.
Finally, the moment has come!!!! After more than six months, and a huge and heavy tidiness, I will finish the Sirges 2007 Film Festival chronicles :P I apologize for this lag of time again, but I'm trying to update my chronicles and experiences to nowadays as so fast as I can... :P
After terror and gore movies, noir and epic ones, and the animation chapter, now it's the turn of the experimental movies: those movies unclassificable because of its strange spirit.
Hence, this final chapter includes, besides the Ridley Scott's sci-fi classic Blade Runner in its Final Cut Version, (remasterized and including again the unicorn scene but not some voice-off reflections from Deckard'd mind) and the Rodriguez-Tarantino duet, Grindhouse, (including the fake trailers!!), and the most supriring asiatic movies, i.e. the Takeshi Kitano autodestruction as film director, the new fantasia from Park Chanwook, the first non-animation film of Katsuhiro Otomo, and the surrealism of a western in japanese feudal age by Takashi Miike :D
So, let's go with the most funny chapter of this Sitges 2007!!!
* Chapter 1. The USA experiments... a sci-fi classic reedition and a tribute to classic terror.
Is there anybody that didn't know what movie is Blade Runner?? I can't imagine it, it's possible that somebody hasn't seen the movie, but at least he/she knows about this film. This classic of cyberpunk (Blade Runner started this kind of philosophy in films) made by Ridley Scott, with that legendary soundtrack by the King of Experimental Music, Vangelis, is a masterpiece of sci-fi movies.
With a great bakcground of a decadent society really defeated by its own ambitions and creations, this movie offers a sad future where it's always raining and the sun can't achieve the floor of a cybernetic world (plenty of marketing, indeed XD cocacola, atari... incredible, it's not subliminal, it's literally shown in the movie!!! :P) where the mankind has created a set of servant androids, called replicants, with powerful habilities but without empathy, little detail that is the borderline between the humans and the replicants.
They are useful for Extraterrestral Hard Works in the past but deprecated on Earth in the present of the film because the replicants have exceeded their creators (the humans) capabilities and they wanted to make a rebellion.
'Cause of this, there are special cops, called Blade Runners (Deckard is one of them) must arrest every replicant hidden on Earth Society.
What can I say about this movie not said before? An incredible mixing of classic noir films(police, criminals, a femme fatale...) with philosophical background reflections and science fiction with cyberpunk, with a lot of different versions due to the differences between Scoot and the Production Enterprise (e.g.: the unicorn scene, Deckard being or not being a real replicant...), with incredible music (performed with only a real saxophone and a huge amount of synthesizers by Vangelis itself mixing futuristic ambientation with classical noir music notes and leit-motifs), now remasteredwith the aim of offering the best quality possible nowadays.
Deffinitively, a classic and immortal movie born in 1982, with Ridley Scoot in state of grace (opposite on the recent years of Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven, but reborn with The Matchstick Men).
And in the other side, the incredible tribute to 70's horror movies made by Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, Grindhouse.
The bizarre and bloody massacre of Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror provoqued by a lethal virus that transform people into zombies (Does anybody remember Resident Evil saga? XD) and Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof, the splendid stunt-tribute starring Zoe Bell, the stunt-woman of Uma Thurman on Tarantino's dual masterpiece Kill Bill, already projected on cinemas, but now joined in a single-experience and with the fake trailers not enjoyed outer USA.
And what trailers!!!! Besides the already-seen Machete, trailer directed by Robert Rodriguez, [...]
[...] I was able to see the splendid ideas of three well-known names in this industry: Don't!!, by Edgar Wright (amusing and hilarious tribute to horror clichés XD), [...]
[...] Thanksgiving, the incredible bizarre fake-movie by Eli Roth (director of Hostel saga), [...]
[...] and the Rob Zombie signature on Werewolf Women of the SS, clear tribute to Jess Franco starring Nicholas Cage as Fu-Manchu XD simply amazing XD.
* Chapter 2. Otomo is back! The beautiful surrealism of Korea by Park Channwook.
When I saw that Katsuhiro Otomo filmed a real-person film, I was very impatient for seeing this film, that receives the name of Mushishi. But in my opinion, the final result is a strange movie, with an awesome environment of Nature invaded by a special beings, like Mononoke Hime's kodamas, only able to be seen by a reduced number of persons, called Mushishi (Master of Mushi ---these beings are called Mushi, that means bug---).
The scenography is incredible, the atmosphere is impeccable... but the film is not great, maybe because of the nullity on its story. This film is based on a famous manga also called Mushishi, and it's possible that Otomo wanted to gather too much spirit of this manga: the result is a mix of independent adventures of Ginko, a young boy capable of seeing this strange spirits, the Mushi. It's true that the experience of the movie is powerful in terms of mixing natural and sobrenatural worlds, but the movie itself is empty of meaningness, and when it finishes, you have the feeling of a incoherent sequence of beauty images.
Being Mushishi a film by Katsuhiro Otomo, the creator of the japanese cyberpunk masterpiece Akira, this movie called Mushishi is beauty and magical but poor, meaningless and empty of feelings.
In the opposite side, however, there is the last film of Park Chanwook, the genius creator of the Trilogy of Violence (consisting in Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Old Boy, and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance), is this brilliant comedy called I'm Cyborg but that's OK, a film about a young girl inside an asylum that believes in being a real cyborg. Proof of that is that she doesn't eat normal food but sucking alcaline batteries (this is seen in a nice scene in the asylum's dining room). This movie also counted with the presence of Park Chanwook in the projection auditorium, and he announced a new film for 2008 and a projection in the next Sitges Festival!! I hope this will be true :D I can't wait for this new film, with more violence, in the sense of his mentioned above Trilogy of Violence!!!
Well, about this cybernetic film, it's composed by two clear parts. The first one, a delirant comedy, offers to the audience the asylum in its own splendor: the most hilarious kinds of madness and dementia enter the scene while the main character of the young cyborg girl walks around this world of insanity, and it's possible to know her past (her grandmother overcoats, also in madness) and her present, and why she is confined in this mental hospital; simply amusing :) The second one, however, is a real drama with a beauty background of a love story between the cyborg and another mad confined boy. In this part is proofed that being mad and being idiot are not the same: the only aim of the boy is to transform her sad life in the asylum onto a beauty world where she is really a cyborg.
And is in this second part where Park Chanwook demonstrates that he is a master of filmmaking... it's really one of the most emotive films I've ever seen without the typical clichés of romanticism. Very recomendable.
* Chapter 3. The two mad minds of Japan: Kitano and Miike and their insanities made film.
I've reserved the most peculiar films forthe last ones. The reason is simple: it's almost impossible to see any movie as geek as the two following ones; one is the last creation of Takeshi Kitano, the King of the Kitano's Castle (humor amarillo in Spanish Television), and the creator of great films like Sonatine, Zatoichi, Kid's Return or the most recent Takeshi's, the initial masterpiece chapter of Kitano's autodestruction films. So, the second chapter of this autodestructive saga is the movie I want to talk about: Glory to the Filmmaker! Kantoku Banzai!
My humble opinion about this movie is simple but also strange:it's an authentic masterpiece hidden in a really bad movie XDIf you don't see this movie you maybe cannot understand this sentence, but I will try to do this task easier. This film is something like a fake chronicle of Kitano itself as your role of ruined film director. Through the entire film, you have the sensation of being into different movies inside the film itself, each one of a different style, even a tribute to old japanese styles (the Retirement fake-film is the best gag I've ever seen in Kitano films, even better than the sumo battle in Sonatine or the eyes scene of Zatoichi, and with the detail that Retirement is apparently serious XD).
It's really a comedy, you will laugh very much in some scenes I won't tell about for don't act as a cruent spoiler :P I will only say (and it's not an spoiler itself because this is one of the most famous film snapshots :P) that the plastic puppet of Kitano receiving a medical analysis is incredible XD
I only can say: it's a must-see film, an incredible journey through asian film history and an autodestruction of Takeshi Kitano. Simply incredible, a must-see movie for cinematographic art lovers :O
And for the last, the last film of the Demigod Of Gore and Bizarre Violence... brrrrrrrrrr *drumroll* Takashi Miike, the creator of the famous torture scenes in Audition and Imprint, and the creator of geek (and too miuch strange :S) saga Dead or Alive (not related with the famous videogame :P).
This time, in Sukiyaki Western Django Miike offers us a real spaghetti western like the Bud Spencer & Terence Hill ones, but located in the Feudal Japan Age. And trust me: it's incredible how real seems a western ---with its typical hats and guns and saloons--- in a japanese mountain with japanese traditions.
The argument is poor, but... what's the matter with the story? Look at this promotional poster of the movie : traditional costumes, guns, shotguns, and the terrible western hats on japanese men XD So, who is concerned about the story when you are able to see this strange things? XD
And oh!! I almost forgot this important detail: all the movie is spoken in the worst english you will hear on a film XD Only for this handicap, the movie is really amusing :P But the most important hot shot for this movie is the special appearance in the introduction and in the second half of the movie of the USA most peculiar talent, also mentioned in this review (chapter 1): Quentin Tarantino!!! Yes, Tarantino appears as an actor (and he performs an important character in this film!!!). You can view a cut of Tarantino intro sequence in the following picture :)
This is another bad movie (really it cannot be considered a good movie at all), but it's an awesome experience for asian film fanatics :) Japanese people talking in english (or something that seems english XD), performing good saloon duels, with incredible and nice gags (Miike is the God of Blood, but with Kitano and Johnnie To, they three are experts on adding surrealism in a serious scene :P a clear example is in Sukiyaki Western Django, when the leader of one band is showing the other members his incredible hability on halting a thrust made by a katana... hahahahahahahahahahaha impressive XD). Also, very recomendable as a geek experience and for Miike entusiasts.
And that's all about Sitges 2007!!! Sitges 2007 is finally reviewed in its totallity!! (well, in my totallity, I didn't see all the movies, it's impossible!!) For people that hope a typical blockbuster movie, forget this two last chapters of this fourth volume of Sitges 2007. The pecualirity of this movies is the most attractive factor for wanting to see them. :P
I hope you poor mortals had enjoyed this huge review in 4 volumes, because I've enjoyed very much this writing experience, because of the remembrances of great moments in asian films... I can't wait for Sitges 2008!!!! But it will be on october, with no doubt... hence, I cannot do nothing than be patient... snif...
Bye bye poor mortals!!! See you in the Lair of Flamming Tears; and remember... being a geek is nice, except for those who aren't geek; so, please, however you can become a friendly spectacle be comprehensive in receiving confusion and distancing on passion affairs... read more...
Well... in this blog you will find a little bit of everything interesting for me. I don't pretend to explain huge philosophies or give my opinion over actual facts; simply I'll write about music, cinema, art, rare news, feelings, experiences... however, always in a quite gothic mood, I think. You only have to look at the blog's image logo... romantic, isn't it?
Ignis Lacrima means "Tear of Fire". Fire is composed by infinite flames (following no known pattern), and the flame is a symbol of divinity, life essence and power of Gods, but also intellectual penetration and creation capability. Besides, a tear is always referenced to pain, but also to another spiritual sense: a metaphor of feelings (it can mean sadness, but happiness too).
On the other hand, the blog's lemma, Interea lux in mundus, usque umbrae vobiscum, means "Although there were Light in the World, the Shadows will be with you".
OMG!!! After the great deception when I saw the entire Sitges 2008 film program with the two great asian absences:
