The One About the Three Tenors – 8.31.08

I sit in my darkened office with the light from my computer illuminating the room and I listen to the three tenors: Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti with Maestro Zubin Mehta.

At this moment when I type this, I’m listening to Placido Domingo perform “O paradis” and just love the finish for that song.  Earlier, I listened to Antonio Carreras perform “Il lamento di federico” which was just wonderful!  Next up is “Recondita armonia” by Luciano Pavarotti which I remember loving for the music alone.

This is from an old London tape that I bought right after their historic performance and it was released into stores.

Back in July 7, 1990, what was impossible became possible and the dreams of opera fans all over the world rejoiced as the three greatest tenors of the day joined forces with an orchestra of 200 musicians against a backdrop of the majestic scenery of ancient Rome.

In the famous Baths of Caracalla in Rome, with the stars filling the night and a full moon, Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo and Liciano Pavarotti with Maestro Zubin Mehta presented an eving of arias, songs and medleys.  History was made.

For the 6,000 fortunate people who had the opportunity to watch history unfold, many wished to share that moment and fortunately the recording of the special performance was released, as was the DVD.

When I listen to Pavarotti’s “Rondine al nido”, I just get teary inside because it’s sung so beautiful.  And then listening to Jose Carreras “Core ‘ngrato’” and to hear that whimsical opening as it magically transitions to Carreras voice.  Wow!

I listen to this and just remember how much I treasure my classical and opera music collection.  A lot of them, I still have in cassette tapes when I first originally purchased them.

But sticking on the topic of classical music, many wonder how I became interested in it.  And believe it or not, it was through the film “Pretty Woman”. One of my favorite films of all time and I love the part when Edward Lewis (Richard Gere) and Vivian (Julia Roberts) were watching Verdi’s “La Traviata” and Edward says to Vivian:

People’s reactions to opera the first time they see it is very dramatic.
They either love it or they hate it.
If they love it, they will always love it.
If they don’t, they may learn to appreciate it,
but it will never become part of their soul.

And then you saw Vivian’s face as she watched “La Traviata”.  This scene captured my heart that I purchased “La Traviata” immediately and from that point, opera has become a part of my soul.

And going back to the three tenors, listening to this album just touches my soul.  Just watching and hearing them again is just fantastic now as it was back then.

It’s a moment time that will be remembered and listening to the songs again, I will definitely will miss Pavarotti’s presence and although I wish I could have watched this performance live, it was great to see the performance and to own it as well.

 

MARVEL COLLECTOR’S EDITION VOL. 1 – COMIC BOOK LIBRARY (a J!-ENT Digital Comics Review)

“With GIT Corp. no longer releasing the Marvel comic collections on DVD and Marvel now creating their own digital comics portal online, all the GIT Corp. Marvel DVD collections are becoming highly sought after and prices are going through the roof.  But this certain collection, you can find online under $10 and it’s totally worth it!”

BOOK: MARVEL COLLECTOR’S EDITION VOL. 1 – COMIC BOOK LIBRARY

COMPANY: MARVEL COMICS/GIT CORP

Stan Lee Presents X-Men, Spider-Man, Daredevil, The Hulk.

Before they were movies, they were Marvel.  And now with the Marvel Comic Book Library, you can relive the first 10 adventures of 10 classic Marvel characters on one super-powered CD-Rom.  100 complete comic books with character bios and 3 bonus comics highlight the debut and subsequent storylines of the most famous band of heroes.  Also including The Fantastic Four, Captain America, Avengers, The Sub-Mariner, Iron Man and Silver Surfer.

Their first 10 stories including their debut issue!

Spider-Man (1962), The Incredible Hulk (1962), Daredevil (1964), X-Men (1975), Fantastic Four (1961), Captain America (1964), Avengers (1963), Namor the Sub-Mariner (1962), Iron Man  (1963) and Silver Surfer (1966).

When it was announced that Marvel would create their own digital comics online site (pay a monthly fee), that was the nail in the coffin for GIT Corp’s popular Marvel Complete Collection.

These collections featured the complete collection from issue 1 up to their issues in 2006, including annuals digitally via Lizardtech Software’s DJVU software and Acrobat Reader (in later versions).

And now, these collector’s DVD-Rom’s have skyrocketed in price because GIT Corp. are unable to sell them anymore and with a lot of these films being released in theaters, people have interest in the classics.

Fortunately, “MARVEL COLLECTOR’S EDITION VOL. 1 – COMIC BOOK LIBRARY” is the cheaper of the Marvel releases which people can find online for under $10.

But as a fan of the classic comic book series (and having quite a large collection of comic books that I’ve had since I was a kid up to my college years), to obtain the classics, you would either read them via tradepaperback, re-release issues or what you read from your library when you were much younger.

And if you want to read a lot of these, you would have to spend thousands upon thousands of dollars if you were hardcore.  Sure, now you can read them online from Marvel’s website which cost a monthly fee and you read them online.

But with GIT Corp. CD’s, you can read them without having to go online.  Everything was on one DVD and it was so convenient.  I literally just lay back on my bed, grab by laptop and just read these issues.

Around 2003, GIT Corp. released this collection featuring the first 10 issues of major comic book titles from Marvel.

• Avengers Issues – #1-10
• Captain America/Tales of Suspense – Issues #59-68
• Daredevil – Issues #1-10
• Fantastic Four – Issues #1-10
• The Incredible Hulk – Issues #1-6 and Tales to Astonish – Issues 60-63
• The Invincible Iron Man – Tales of Suspense – Issues #39-48
• Silver Surfer – Issues #1-10
• The Amazing Spider-Man – Issues #1-9 and Amazing Fantasy – Issue #15
• Sub Mariner/Tales to Astonish – Issues #70-79
• X-Men Issues #94-102 and Giant-Size X-Men Issue 1

You get a lot of issues, 100 comics and again, you can find this collection for under $10.  That’s awesome!

To access the DVD on your PC or Mac, you need to install the viewing software included on the DVD.  Then you will  need to have Internet Explorer (sorry, this DVD is older and doesn’t not utilize Safari or Firefox and other browsers).  You will see an HTML of all characters (as shown above) and when you click on the character, you will see the comic book covers.

By clicking on the comic covers, you will then access the software which displays the comic page.  On the left hand side, you can click on the page you want to read or use the arrows above.  Interesting thing is you can read the comics in black or white, see how it looks without the color and then of course, normally.

There are no ads or letter to the editor, Stan’s Soap Box or anything like that in this collection (many people requested for those to be included and they were in later comic collection versions).

The pages do have a Marvel Comics watermark in the bottom corner and if you want to print the pages out, you have that ability.

Now, I had no problems installing and viewing everything on an XP machine.  It worked on  my PC Laptop just fine.  But as for my newer Mac, this is where things got a little problematic.

There is no Internet Explorer for newer Mac’s.  Microsoft stopped making a browser for it years ago and you can’t use Firefox, Safari, Opera, Camino, etc.   And the software included is dated.  So, I had to go to Lizard Tech’s Website and download the latest viewing software (note: version 4.0 is included on the DVD but the latest version for the Mac is 6.3).

Then I would have to open up the disc via the finder and go to each comic book file folder and right click to open the comic via the software.  So, in other words, I had to open things up manually.

Granted, it’s not difficult but if you are not computer savvy, I can see this being problematic.

But outside of that, everything worked very well.

You really can’t beat this collection.  10 comic books of each major character.  And the fact that “Daredevil” and “Sub-Mariner” will no longer be released as a collection, I highly recommend this collection.

Now granted, fans of the Mighty Thor or Ghost Rider will be wondering what about their characters and why they are not featured.  I felt the same way but still for the price and for what is featured, it’s still worth the money.

My gosh, you can find this collection for $6-$10 online.  The price is just so low these days for it while the other collections are going up in price (Iron Man which was $39.99 is sold for $139.99 these days).

Mac owners (especially with newer systems) may have some problems but again, if you are computer savvy, you shouldn’t have problems but if you’re not, then yeah, it will get frustrating.  PC owners, should have no problems.

As for the free 3 free bonus comics, this is via subscription and I think this deal is way over.  So, no need to even worry about that.

The bios for each character were quite cool to read and glad they included it on this collection.

To conclude the review, if you are a fan of the classic stories or interested in the original stories of these super heroes, this collection is worth it!  Also, for the price, it’s good to check it out and see if it’s for you and if you are willing to shell out and get the other collections available.

100 classic digital comics of the top Marvel heroes for under $10.  Can’t beat that!  Definitely… highly recommended!

BUY THIS DIGITAL COMIC BOOK COLLECTION ON DVD TODAY!

 

ARJUNA Anime Legends Complete Collection (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

“The anime does preach a lot about ecology but its an anime that is made to make viewers think and whether or not its message gets through to you or piss you off depends on the viewer.  I, for one, enjoyed the series and because anime such as ‘ARJUNA’ is unique in many way, I can understand why it has received 50/50 reviews.  Some will love it, some will hate it.  But it’s all about the message and if one can make a change in their life because of this anime, then its mission accomplished.”

DVD INFORMATION:

DVD TITLE: ARJUNA – ANIME LEGENDS COMPLETE COLLECTION (aka Chikyu Shojo Arjuna)

DURATION: 325 minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Subtitled, NTSC

COMPANY: Bandai Entertainment

RATING: Unrated

STAFF INFORMATION:

DIRECTOR AND ORIGINAL CREATOR: Kawamori Shoji

SERIES COMPOSITION: Kawamori Shoji, Ohnogi Hiroshi

CHARACTER DESIGN: Kishida Takahiro

MUSIC COMPOSER: Kanno Yoko

THEME SONG BY: Sakamoto Maaya

High school, archery club, and boys were the things that filled Juna’s daily life. But when an accident leaves her clinging tenuously between life and death, fate intervenes as she becomes the sole witness to scenes of Earth’s destruction along with humanity’s reckless pollution of the sky, the Earth, and water. It is here in which Juna is given a new chance at life and bestowed the powers of the Earth, a power she must wield in order to stop an evil bent on Earth’s destruction.

Contains all 13 Episodes of Arjuna!

When it comes to ecology and the environment, it’s usually a topic that some people welcome and a topic that many people know about but really don’t want to get involved in.

And I suspect that when you have a top tier anime director/creator Kawamori Shoji (“Visions of Escaflowne”, “Super Dimension Century Macross”, “Macross Plus”, “Macross 7″, “Macross Zero” and “Macross Frontiere” to name a few) and composer Kanno Yoko, theme song by Sakamoto Maaya and character designs by Kishida Takahiro (“Tenchi Muyou”, “El Hazard”, “Heat Guy J” to name a few), you expect to have a quality anime series.

The 13-episode TV series that aired on TV Tokyo back in 2001 received a DVD release in the US back in 2002 and for so long I have wanted to watch this series.

The anime series is primarily about a teenager named Ariyoshi Juna.  Your typical high school girl learning archery and spending time with boyfriend Oshima Tokio.

With her skills at archery training not going as well, she tells her boyfriend that she wants to see the sea.  Tokio, being so in love with Juna, decides to take her to the sea via motorcycle and everything seems well until an entity flashes in front of them and in the process, both are thrown of the motorcycle.

Juna is rushed to the hospital and she pretty much is dead.  That is until she hears a voice of Chris Hawken (a powerful entity)  who tells her that he will give her life back if she saves the world.  Juna is given a glimpse of the Planet Earth, especially Japan in terrible shape with drought, famine and more.  Not wanting to leave her mother and Tokio behind, Juna agrees and is given her life back.

All of a sudden, while Tokio and her mother are pretty much saying goodbye to Juna, Juna awakes and runs up to the hospital roof and there she is met by some secret organization known as S.E.E.D.

It appears that Juna has a special power to turn into Earth Maiden Arjuna and able to see these monstrous worm-like entities known as Raaja (which are literally Earth’s bacteria).  Arjuna thinks her job is to use her powers to fight the Raaja but Chris keeps giving her messages of “why do you want to kill?”, “What are you trying to do?” and Juna really doesn’ t know what her job truly is.

Throughout the whole series, we start learning a lot about ecology, organic food and how there is a cycle of everything that we use and eat but because of pesticides and pollution, our Earth is being hurt by it.

In one episode, Juna and Tokio stay at a farm and learn from a farmer about organic vegetables.  Juna and Tokio not knowing why people would want to eat vegetables that have been eaten by bugs.  Also, being taught that pesticides hurt the system.  Because there is a cycle to food.  The bugs, the worms undergorund, the soil, everything has its purpose.

And from that point, we see Juna becoming more of a vegetarian and just can’t eat regular food without having images.  For example, Tokio tries to get her to eat at a fast food restaurant Merikan Burger and images of the cows just make her sick.

She now lives a lifestyle of wanting to protect the environment, eating the right food but yet everyone around her doesn’t understand why.  They don’t like being preached about the environment, especially from her.

So, literally her relationship with her family and with her boyfriend Tokio is being tested.  And her best friend Shirakawa Sayuri seems to be getting closer to Tokio because her involvement with S.E.E.D. and her enviromental perspective is dampening her relationship with everyone she’s close with.

So, for the first eleven episodes, we see as Arjuna comes into contact with the Raaja and Kawamori finds ways to get his message out to viewers on ecology, protecting the environment and how industrial pollution and pesticides and a variety of other things happening in today’s world is really hurting the environment and if people don’t change their ways, it will be too late.

Throughout the series, we meet other characters.  The major player outside of Juna and Tokio is the other person with spirital power, Chris Hawken who is literally dying since he gave part of his life to revive Arjuna.  He can’t talk and communicates through a young telepath named Cindy.  Cindy despises Juna maily because Chris tries to get close to her and Cindy really cares for him.   When Juna screws up, Chris is there to try to help in his weakened state but there is only so much he can do.  But he tries to help Juna become aware of why she was chosen and why things are happening to the planet.

And in the final episodes, that is what happens.  The city of Tokyo has now been invaded by the Raaja, water and food and anything that is absorbed by the Raaja is affected and people now are dying.

The series is a mix of sci-fi mecha, sci-fi bishojou magical girl and your typical high school love triangle all together in one series.   The “mecha” in this series is mainly a protector of Arjuna who shows up to make sure she is not killed.  The “magic girl” part in this series is what Juna can transform into. She can fly and as a weapon, use a specialized bow and arrow to fend off attacks.  And of course, the high school drama is between her, Tokio and Sayuri.  And of course, there is other drama such as Juna’s relationship to her mother and sister, her teacher and of course with Chris and Cindy and other members of S.E.E.D.

VIDEO:

As for the video, I enjoy anime series that show a large variety of scenery.  This is anime features the city, a farming area and various locations that I really enjoy that and it really pushes the staff to create so much scenery and beautifu backgrounds and animation and all in all, I really enjoyed the animation.  Granted it was created in 2001 but nevertheless, in 2008, I enjoyed it very much.

AUDIO:

I watched this series both in Japanese and English.  I enjoyed the Japanese version and found Higashiyama Mami’s acting as Arjuna and Seki Tomokazu’s voice acting as Tokio to be really well done.  But I soon discovered that I really do enjoy the English dub voice acting which I felt was done very well.  Maggie Blue O’Hara and Andrew Francis did a great job with their voice acting as the couple and everyone else as well.  So, both languages are just exceptional.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Special features include interviews with Kawamori Shoji, the cast and an Arjuna dictionary.  Also, music videos.

Just an interesting note that “ARJUNA” features different ending themes and so after each episode, you more than often get a different ending theme which I found interesting.  Also, a live ending that was reminiscent of the bubbly “Kare Kano” but actually featuring a school girl running into the sunset.

For me, it was a plus to get a series from Kawamori Shoji that was not “Macross” related but even moreso, an anime series that would tackle on ecology and various topics within the scope of environment but also a few other things which I don’t want to spoil for the viewer.

The series does get preachy and remember those after-school specials that were shown on TV trying to let people know about a wide range of topics from racism, ecology or something to catch your interest and make you think.

This is an anime series that does just that.  There is a message that Kawamori wanted to get through and even in the anime series, a message of, if one can make a change, possibly that one can make others change.

Reading the various reviews on the Internet, I can see why this anime series is loved and hated.  No one likes things being driven down their throat but on the other hand, for those who are open to hearing out another perspective, then it’s fine.

For me, I try to do my part for the environment but I’m not as hardcore as Juna.  I have no qualms eating my Boca or Veggie burgers, recycling, purchasing organic vegetables and being considerate of the environment but at the same time, I have no qualms of going to Burger King and ordering a double cheeseburger as well.

But Kawamori’s message did reach out to me and this series did give me a good understanding about pesticides and for me, I enjoy learning new things and open to hearing other perspectives.

So, I enjoyed the series for that.  I also enjoyed that twist of, “OK, we warned you that there will be problems if you don’t change your lifestyle” and where people think it won’t be in their lifetime, in this series, problems happen immediately and destruction and chaos comes.

Granted, when we see news about the melting glaciers, drilling for oil in the ocean because of escalating gas prices and the hole in the ozone layer, how does one feel about those topics?  Passionate, bored, interested or don’t care?

So, that is where “ARJUNA” as a series is being interpreted by anime viewers.  You either love it or hate it.  And you either care about the message or look at it as a pathetic attempt to a person’s beliefs being driven down your throat.

For me, I enjoyed the series.  It was a great blend of sci-fi, love triangles and bishojo heroines.  But of course, the main thing about this series is indeed the message of making a change in your life and accepting of what is happening in this world.  You either get it or you don’t.  You either welcome that message or you don’t.

So, by saying that…if you are open to Kawamori’s message on the environment through a series like “ARJUNA”, check it out.  If you are the last person who cares about hearing details on the environment, this anime series is definitely not for you.

+ A cool collaboration from top tier people in the industry, Kawamori Shoji, Kanno Yoko, Kishida Takahiro, Sakamoto Maaya and more.

+ I dig the message on the environment

+ Very good voice acting on both Japanese and English dubs

- Some may find this series to preachy about the environment, thus this anime is not for everyone.

BUY THIS ANIME DVD TODAY:

 

Tokyo Rock Catwalk – Visual Kei Bands Big in Japan (a J!-ENT Book Review)

“If you are a visual kei fan who loves the fashion, loves the guys or simply looking for a reference for ideas for an upcoming J-rock cosplay or to look like a visual kei rocker, ‘Tokyo Rock Catwalk’ is definitely the book for you!”

BOOK: Tokyo Rock Catwalk – Visual Kei Bands Big in Japan

COMPANY: Cocoro Books (DH Publishing, Inc.)

PAGE COUNT: 96 pages

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

This is Tokyo Rock Scene

Boys as girls, girls as boys, hideous monsters crooning ballads, nothing as it seems in Tokyo’s rock scene.  Colorful, creative and innovative, this scene is one of the most exciting things in Japan right now.  Are you ready for noise?  Are you ready for TOKYO ROCK CATWALK?

What started out as a small movement of like-minded bands in the late 1980′s is now a force to be reckoned with.  “Visual Kei” bands are sporting some of the hottest looks and creating some of the wickedest sounds in the world and they are finally to make noise overseas as well.  Now is the time for you to find out what Japanese fans have known for years.  Visual Kei is HOT!  We’ve got some of the best new bands on display in here sporting some of the most outrageous outfits this side of GWAR.  Do you think you can handle TOKYO ROCK CATWALK?

TOKYO ROCK CATWALK is the latest volume in cocoro books’ photobook series.  cocoro books is dedicated to bringing you the best and latest pop culture news from Japan and this time we’ve got a whopper for you.  Sexy, scary and out of this world, this photographic guide to visual kei rockers will be appreciated by hardcore fans and total nOObs alike.  Dive headfirst into the world of TOYO ROCK CATWALK!!

I have to really have to credit cocoro books and DHP Publishing for their Japanese book releases.  There are so many niches of Japanese pop culture from cosplay, anime figurine collectors, art books, j-rock, cute bar girls, Japanese tatoos, ninjas…you name it, they have released a book on it.

And one of the reasons why their books have become so successful is the great price and that these photobooks sport full color, full page photos.

With J-rock and visual kei becoming so popular in America, Europe and literally all over the world, we have seen many Japanese visual kei bands brought from Japan to perform at a wide variety of events and many fans who emulate the look or clothing of these band members.

Some who have the look as part of their fashion in their lifestyle and those who just like to cosplay as one or perhaps a hardcore fan who just love these guys!

Cocoro Books “Tokyo Rock Catwalk” is a perfect reference for those who want to large photos as a reference to learn about the styles from 31 visual kei bands in Japan.  Some bands that many are familiar with such as Suicide Ali, Kurogane, Julia, Tokami, Seed and many more.

The book features a foreword by Le Bris Mihara Tadayuki who talks about his life as a visual kei bass player for his band and how in real life, he is a very shy person.  But once he transforms himself with the makeup and clothing, he’s a whole different person.

Another foreword includes Ando Misaki who is a cosplayer who loves to dress up in visual kei clothing with friends in Harajuku.

And that is pretty much the copy content.  The majority of the book are all full color photos dedicated to the bands.

On the table of contents, you are given the page number of the band, a thumbnail photo, the names of the band members, their official website URL and some with MySpace URL’s.

You get full color photos of the group and some with individual pictures of each band member.  Some bands that feature their live photography.  And as mentioned, their are 31 visual kei bands featured.

Again, I think that cocoro books has another hit in their hands.  Many fans really love the magazines or anything that deals with the fashion coverage or photography of visual kei bands.

“Tokyo Rock Catwalk” is pretty cool that it really does showcase the variety of bands and each band have their unique style, not too many similarities.

So, definitely another good photo book reference for fans who are cosplaying, people who are inspired to incorporate the look into their own fashion or fans of these bands or fans of visual kei in general.

Also, the fact that fans can get to learn more about other visual kei bands in Japan through this book is another plus.

This is primarily a photo book, so for those wanting bios or written content for each band, you’re not going to find it in this book.  This is primarily a photo book on visual kei bands in Japan.

So, for it’s great price and as a photo reference, this is another solid release that targets another niche of fans of Japanese pop culture!   Check it out!

 

Having fun after their performance

Members of Amppez and Red Bacteria Vacuum have fun after their performance in San Francisco.  Photo by J!-ENT’s Angelo Delos Reyes

 

Obon Festival 2008

A picture that I took at the Obon Festival in Central California this year.  It was smaller than previous years but wanted to see the sunset and capture it while the palm trees were in the silhouette.  Didn’t get the sunset since I had to grab a bit to eat inside the food center but took a photo in the early evening.

 

The One about the Brave One – 8.29.08

Beverly Hills That’s Where I Want To Be…Maybe?

My day started out with a friend informing me of former co-workers that were laid off from their jobs.

It is no surprise that we hear about economic woes and how things are growing costly for many corporations and employers and thus, these layoffs happen quite often and those past years of job stability, where can you find job stability?

But today, I was asked a few times how long I can stay in this area which has been heavily impacted by these economic times.  I seriously don’t know.  But I found it quite interesting is our discussion of, if I wanted to move to Beverly Hills or a city nearby.

I entertained the thought as I’ve enjoyed living in Southern California but we’ll see.

HEAT

Ughh….109 degrees today and the day before I think.  It’s incredibly hot and when you hear friends from the Bay Area talk about how hot it is… it’s hot.

But aside from this ridiculous heat, I have been watching the news on the various hurricanes and just hope we do not see a repeat of Katrina.  If anything, no repeat of any massive destruction caused by the hurricanes or high winds.

There are too many people in the South who are rebuilding or just finally getting over the loss of a home, family member or friend from Katrina and I just don’t want to see Gustav causing any major damage.  As of now, CNN reports has the hurricane over Cuba and becoming a Category 2.

Gov. Sarah Palin

I have been reading the various posts on cnn.com, various political segments on news shows,  current.com, twitter and a variety of message boards in regards to Alaska Governor Sarah Palin who was recently picked as John McCain’s running mate for the Presidential race.   I’ll keep my lips mum for now because I think it will be an interesting race.

The Brave One

I’ve been wanting to watch this film starring Jodi Foster. The Neill Jordan directed film is about Erica Bain, a radio host known for her essays who is a crime victim trying to cope the real world after she and her fiance (played by Naveen Andrews of “LOST” fame) and her were brutally assaulted by thugs during a romantic walk at the park.

Erica Bain, scared of the dirty filth that corrupts the city, purchases a gun.  And through a variety of events, Jodi Foster becomes a vigilante and takes matter on to her own hands.

You wonder how people cope after being brutally assaulted and I remember one of our own, here in the staff of J!-ENT who was a victim of an assault twice near the BART system.

The first time, he was beaten by a group of men who carried a baseball bat and hit him and punched him until he was down and they left just laughing as if they just won a game.

Of course, he chalks it up as being in the wrong place at the wrong time and of course, police told him there was no chance of them being caught.

His second time was a disgruntled man who didn’t like the fact that when going upstairs near the BART, my friend was directly in front of him and cussed at my friend for being in his way.  The man didn’t appreciate it and threatened him with a gun and teased that he could shoot him.

Of course, there are people who have been victimized much worse and I often wondered how many of these victims turn out to be like an Erica Bain.  Living in fear and wondering if they can go out again.

Granted, the story of “The Brave One” is just a bit much as Erica Bain becomes a vigilante that is reminiscent of The Punisher.

She takes on the filth on the streets but the head detective on the case is on pursuit of the vigilante, not knowing that the reporter that interviewed him for a radio show is the actual vigilante.

This by no means is an action film in a Punisher-esque style of way.  It’s about a woman who has been victimized and going through severe post-traumatic stress and in a unhealthy way, has found herself walking the streets (with a gun) at night and hoping someone bad to come to her, so she can exact revenge on them.

There is an interesting parallel to the manga/anime series “Death Note” as people are very supportive of the vigilante who is taking on the filth and the police and detective who go after her.  But the difference is where Kira plays god, Erica Bain has troubles of dealing with what she has done and when that urge to rid more filth of the street starts to consume her.

The film is very interesting as it shows a female vigilante as opposed to a Charles Bronson, Clint Eastwood type of character.  Jodi Foster did a very good job as a victim-turned-vigilante.

If there were anything about the film that I felt was not needed is to see a badly beaten Foster/Andrews and then show short clips of the two nude and making love.  This was at the beginning of the film but felt it was not need.

But all in all, the film was what I expected from what I have seen from the trailer.  A very good performance by Foster.  As for the ending, in a way, I can say that I was expecting something similar to happen.  Not sure if it’s cliche but overall, a good film.

 

THEE OUT MODS “Rock-n-Roll Pirates” Review

ARTIST:  THEE OUT MODS

ALBUM:  Rock-n-Roll Pirates

LABEL:  7 Samurai Records

available on www.japanfiles.com

ALBUM TRACK LISTING:

1. Treasure Island
2. Umaku Ikanaize
3. Punk a go go
4. Sakura
5. Iikagenni Shiyagare!!
6. GERO
7. Fuck This Shit
8. MY WAY
9. GLORY
10. Rokudenashi
11. It’s your life

Get me up!!

One of the hottest new sounds, THEE OUT MODS are bringing a major ruckus on today’s punk music scene.  The new album “Rock-n-Roll Pirates” is 100% pure energy.  I started listening to the opening track “Treasure Island” on my iPod and could not help myself from wanting to stand up and dance.  The opening guitar riffs were playfully melodic with steadily beating foot on the bass pedal.  Suddenly I hear a powerful voice open forth, “Come on!” as it lead me into an exhilarating voyage.

THEE OUT MODS is composed of three hard-edged members.  Frontline vocal and guitarist SANA has a rough and powerful voice.  She can be strong yet add a flavorful twist by expressing dramatic changes in the vocals.  YOSHIKI on bass exhibits versatility and playfulness on the guitar riffs.  On drums, KENNY manifests an explosive range of ability as well as strong attitude in his playing.

“Rock-n-Roll Pirates” has many interesting titles.  “Umaku Ikanaize” is an awesome song as it exhibits THEE OUT MODS explosive attitude in its music as well as the lyrics.  SANA’s voice is deep, energetic as it gives this song a sexy vigor appeal to it.  “Iikagenni Shiyagare!!” is lightning fast with the bass line running through an awesome bliss.  “GERO”, one of my personal favorite songs is a fun song with very dynamic edges in the percussive end.  “Rokudenashi” is one of the more mellow songs, but through the versatility of the band, it still packs a punch.  The album closes with one of my favorite songs so far, the very creative and exciting “It’s you’re life”.

With so many fun songs, THEE OUT MODS puts together an awesome compilation that would be enjoyable by many audiences.  Judging by these wonderful songs, I am pretty sure they will definitely rock during their live performances.  They have an awesome style that is sexy and rough, which goes along with their music.  If you are into the rock or punk scene, definitely check out “Rock-n-Roll Pirates”!

 

Kim Kardashian – Disaster Movie and her interview with Mitovich

I was just looking at this image of Kim Kardashian and read about the nasty injury she received while kicking her foot away from a mirrored furniture or mirrored table.

But I just read Matt Mitovich’s interview with Kim Kardashian on TVGuide.com where the talent talks about her new film “Disaster Movie” starring Carmen Electra and most notably Kardashian talking about which behind she would like to have.  Suprising considering that she’s known for her behind already.

Now, I’m just wondering if Kim Kardashian can handle the pressure of working out long hours for her upcoming stint for “Dancing with the Stars”.  Hopefully the toe injury doesn’t affect things because her on the show would make for good TV.

But nevertheless, I’m glad to see her in high spirits and just read that her younger sister Chloe will be on Celebrity Apprentice.  Oh my…  If Chloe thought running a shop and being on the family reality TV show was stressful, would definitely be interested to see how she handles the Donald.

 

Ishida Yuko – Changes (a J!-ENT World Groove CD Single Review)

“Gravure model turned music artist, Ishida Yuko (formerly known as Juan), returns with her second CD single ‘Changes’ and tries to prove that she’s not just your average model with a record contract and that she has what it takes to become an pop star.”

GROUP: Ishida Yuko

CD SINGLE: Changes

LABEL: Rhythm Zone

CATALOG #: RZCD-45941/B

DURATION: 16:01

RELEASE DATE: July 30, 2008

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

1. Changes
2. darling
3. Changes (Instrumental)
4. darling (Instrumental)

DVD:  Region 2, 4:3, Duration: 8 minutes

1. Changes (Music Video)
2. Changes (Making of Music Video)

It’s really interesting to see the business expansion of rhythm zone and with bringing jazz music to the once known as an urban R&B label.  But after promoting gravure model turned music artist Takasugi Satomi as one of their primary female solo artist (along with sexy diva, Koda Kumi and singer/songwriter Sakazume Misako) for the label, the label has brought in another gravure model, Ishida Yuko.

Personally, I’m used to seeing Ishida Yuko more as a lingerie model and even doing a google search on her name alone, you are greeted with a number of photos with her hardly with any clothes on.

So, after her first CD single “Missin’ U” in March, Ishida is back with her second CD single “Changes”.

The pop/rock song written, arranged and music by SUPALOVE duo Maeyamada Kenichi and Fujisawa Yoshiaki features a song about life changes after a breakup and self-reflection of making a change and getting out of a rut and being happy.

The song is catchy as it features an acoustic guitar intro with a strong beat and gradually features a pop/rock feel with it’s electric guitars clanging in the background with a bass drum beat.

The coupling song “darling” is a very cool R&B track produced by Yamaki Ryuichiro (known for his work with DOUBLE).  A smooth, freeflowin’ R&B track that actually goes well with her vocals.

The vocals of Ishida Yuko for both tracks is actually done quite well for the song but before I fully praise her, I would like to see more of her performance live.

As for the DVD, the DVD features Ishida Yuko sitting in a tiled room or laying in a black leather couch while singing the song.  The music video takes advantage of featuring her sexiness that she’s known for and putting her in outfits which showcases her in sexy poses and overall a sexy video.  The second track is a making of the music video and also footage from her photo shoot.

The CD insert booklet features lyrics for the two tracks, production credits and photos of Ishida in a black background.  Included is a flyer for Rhythm Zone artist releases for the month of July 2008.

I was very pleased with this CD single.  The music, her vocals and in balance with her sexiness worked very well.

Of course, Koda Kumi will be known as the frontrunner for her sexiness for the Rhythm Zone label, while Takasugi Satomi has taken a different approach by going with a pure, girl-next-door image and her music and music videos tend to showcase her as such, with Ishida Yuko, you expect sexy.

For a model that is seen in her bra and panties in many advertisements for various lingerie, you would expect nothing but sexy from this artist and on her music video, from the variety of poses and leg shots, sexy is what is being featured.  With more of a smooth R&B style than an in-your-face Koda Kumi style, she definitely fits into the Rhythm Zone musical and image style.

“Changes” is a solid CD single with two very well done songs.  Good producer collaborations with good music and Ishida does a good job vocally.

So, with two CD singles under her belt, my eyes are opened to her and her music but I still want to see more.  So, we’ll how the third CD single comes out, how well she performs live and continue to see if this model is indeed the real deal.

Check out more of our reviews at J!-ENT’s World Groove

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