Category Archives: Reviews

Literary Review: Timeless by Gail Carriger

Title: Timeless
Author: Gail Carriger
Series: Book Five
Format: Paperback

Up until this point most of the action has stuck around the England area… with a quick trip to Scotland. Now the action has gone even further… towards Egypt or more specifically: Alexandria the home of the oldest vampire hove in the world at that time. Its queen has requested the presence of Lady Maccon and her precious (and precocious) daughter Prudence… whom is now categorized as a “metanatural” essentially a being that within proximity of a supernatural would steal that particular supernatural’s powers turning them temporarily human and Prudence temporarily supernatural. This little conundrum provides some very comedic sequences throughout the novel as little Prudence isn’t entirely aware of her own abilities when she becomes supernatural.

In fact the book opens up with the Maccons getting ready for the theatre and little Prudence is going through “Bath Night” with the drones and Lord Akeldama and just that first sequence gives the reader a very good idea of how life is now that Prudence has come into the world… heaven forbid that Lord and Lady Maccon would produce a docile child.

Although a fair amount of the focus is on Lord and Lady Maccon and their trip to Alexandria there is indeed a secondary storyline that was building in the sidelines that I found myself skipping through Lord and Lady Maccon just to see how this secondary storyline would pan out.
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Fleeting: Reality Television in Việt Nam

So I have this little obsession, not really obsession but something that I haven’t really voice all that much before. I have an addiction for reality television… but not necessarily in the states… in Việt Nam. Quaint isn’t it?

It all started with my love of reality television (Dancing with the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, America’s Got Talent and The Voice) and blogging about them. Which is bad enough as it is… then I learned a long time ago (aka a couple of years ago) that there is a version of Dancing with the Stars already on the airwaves in Việt Nam. Well needless to say I tried to figure out a way to watch it… but to no avail. Ah well.

The same goes for the other reality tv competition shows… no way for those Vietnamese-Americans on state side to watch if we wanted to, so off to YouTube we go.

Anyway what drove me to write this post? The following clip that I saw while at Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport (aka Saigon International Airport):

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Literary Review: Heartless by Gail Carriger

Title: Heartless
Author: Gail Carriger
Series: Book Four
Format: Paperback

So this is it, the fourth book in the series… finally. Originally I was going to wait until I was able to get the audiobook for the final two books of this series… but considering when my overseas trip popped up I thought it best to just purchase the series (seeing as that I wold most likely read the series at another time again) and I would find time to read the final two books either on the flights or while galvating through the streets.

First thing’s first… in this fourth book in the series we are brought into a conundrum of sorts whereas the little “infant-inconvenience” is furthering inconveniencing her parents by being a prime target of murder/assassinations by the vampire hive in residence (though they would never formally admit that).

So how to rectify that particular situation? Professor Lyall once again proves his meddle by providing the most elegant solution at the moment: Have Alexia’s closest vampire friend Lord Akledama adopt the little “infant-inconvenience” while in the meantime Lord and Lady Maccon would take of residence in the townhouse next door for appearances.

Ok, they will take up residence next door for appearance and name only… in fact they will reside in Lord Akledama’s second-best closet within his own townhouse. Say what? Needless to say, Alexia was not pleased that the three men most important to her and her child’s wellbeing went behind her back and planned her situation for her. But what can she do?

Being eight months along in her pregnancy hasn’t stopped her from continuing on her escapades through the streets of London going so far as to call upon the aid of one Ivy Hisselpenny now Ivy Tunstell who is also expecting.

But why? In this case, a ghost appeared in the presense of one Lord and Lady Maccon to warn her of a plot to assassinate the queen. Which is where a lot of the plot revolves around.
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Comparison: Mirror Mirror vs Snow White and the Huntsman

This has happened in Hollywood before… One movie is announced to be in development and soon after there is another movie of a similar vein that is also announced. This happened with The First Daughter and Chasing Liberty and it happened again between Mirror Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman.

What is interesting though is that even though Mirror Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman are deviations from the same fairy tale “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves” they do take two very distinct paths in the retelling / interpretation to their stories…

MIRROR MIRROR
Mirror Mirror very clearly takes a light hearted, comical approach to their storytelling, considering that they have Julia Roberts as the “Evil Queen” I can’t say that I am all that surprised. After all Julia does comedy well… Sometimes almost too well. She does balance it out with the sinister part of the Evil Queen and there are times when I believed in her “evilness” but more often than not I found myself smiling and smirking in the comedy.

But then again there are aspects that I kind of wished I could have seen in this version as well… Like a little bit of fighting between the Evil Queen and Snow White, but you can’t have everything that you want in life.

Oddly enough as I think about Mirror Mirror I realize that it reminds me a little of Ella Enchanted as a bit of a modern day fairy tale where the female is just as strong and independent as their male counterpart. Then again both female heroines had to grow into their independence… Not only that but they happened to fight with their male heroes as well… And nothing says love more than being able to hold your own against a guy!

SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN
On the other side of the spectrum you have an action drama semi-adventure like Snow White and the Huntsman with its fairly predictable plot line and the requisite attempt of a love triangle. Yes there is a bit more mythology involved particularly with that of the Evil Queen and her ascension over time… Or even of that of the Huntsman and his life and the aftermath.

There is a lot that was purposely left open ended with possibilities of sequels down the road and if that is indeed the case, then it is easy to see how and why this first movie was fairly predictable in plot and deviations. Then again between the two, Snow White and the Huntsman tends to stick closer to the original plot while as Mirror Mirror appears to rearrange and takes quite a few liberties with the stories.

Would I have liked to have seen the connection develop more between the duke’s son and Snow White as opposed to taking their relationship at face value? Absolutely, but what can one do? I the end this movie / story is about

Both have something to offer but both also fall short in one capacity or another.

Review: Snow White and the Huntsman

The second movie I decided to watch soon after I concluded Mirror Mirror was – surprise surprise – Snow White and the Huntsman. I mean how could I not? They were both available and it would be a shame to watch one and not the other… So I decided to give it a go.

Snow White and the Huntsman actually keeps the key points of the original fairy tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves more so than that of Mirror Mirror… Obviously with some twists and changes along the way. The major deviation is turning the overall tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves into more of an action / adventure type of film and in some ways this works out decently in the grand scheme of things.

The Evil Queen is brought to Snow White’s father’s attention via a battle wherein she was the prisoner of the opposing army. Enamored by her beauty the king married her soon after only to be killed on their wedding night. The Evil Queen then takes over the kingdom with few escapees and makes Snow White prisoner with no one that escaped knowing if Sow White had survived or not.

And this is my first issue with the changes… Why keep Sow White prisoner? What purpose does it serve? The Evil Queen has proven time and time again that she will do what it takes to keep her youth by sucking the life out of other women. And she has no qualms of killing anyone around her for self-preservation even going so far as to sacrifice the life of her own brother… So why keep Snow White alive?

Alas, we may never know the answer to this wee little loophole in the story and as thus we, the audience, are expected to take this conundrum at face value… Ah well.
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Review: Mirror Mirror

So on the plane ride to Korea (on the way to Vietnam) I found time to catch up on a few movies that I was interested n seeing but never really wanted to pay for in any capacity due to the mixed reviews… But watch I did.

First on the list: Mirror Mirror

Julia Roberts as the Wicked Queen / Stepmother is hilarious, some really nice one liners. Heck there are some fun one liners in this movie. she balances the whole vanity / self-indulgent thing to the extent that you are not irritated nor wishing the worst of her. In fact I would go so far as to say that the Wicked Queen is not only the antagonist but also the comedic relief in this particular retelling of the classic story.
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Review: Prufrock Productions’ Equus

Show: EQUUS
Written by: Peter Shaffer 		Location: Vero Voce
Director: Bill Barry Jr

Anyone that lives in the western suburbs of Chicago would know that Saint Charles is a hell of a hike for those of us that prefer to live closer to I-294 or I-355… so when a friend asked if I would be willing to accompany him to see a friend of his in this particular production I had to take a moment to think about it.

Why? Because the drive, naturally. I had no qualms about the show, casts, or production itself… but the drive was definitely a negative. Upon arrival however, my friend and I were looking forward to viewing such an intense show that really very few community groups would even consider as part of their repertoire.

From those that had the pleasure to see the show far earlier than I had, had nothing but praise for the production, so naturally I had high hopes… needless to say the cast and the production team did not disappoint. Prufrock Productions created a relatively new theatre group: Industrial Strength Theatre. From their online blog:

Finally, the bored [board] created industrial strength theatre, a not for profit, non-Equity, professional theatre group in DuPage County, whose main purpose is promoting education and exposure to the theatre arts by performing in the suburbs what is commonly called “Chicago storefront theatre”, producing the edgier works that are rarely given voice in those communities. The founding members are Bill Barry Jr (artistic director), Dennis Brown, Lisa Savegnago and Jennifer Skidgel.

Equus is more recently known as the production that had a little known movie star (Daniel Radcliffe) in the lead as the young 17-year old stable boy whose love for horses eventually led him to blind six horses in a fit of violent passion. From the original press release in regards to the production:

Dr. Martin Dysart, a child psychiatrist, is confronted with Alan Strang, a boy who has blinded six horses in a violent fit of passion. This very passion is as foreign to Dysart as the act itself. To the boy’s parents it is a hideous mystery; Alan has always adored horses. To Dysart, it is a psychological puzzle that leads both doctor and patient to a complex and disturbingly dramatic confrontation. This international success reached new acclaim in London and on Broadway when revived in 2008. Director Bill Barry Jr and members of industrial strength theatre lead the audience on this journey into the mind of a young man, whose passion and worship makes the examiner question his own life’s meaning.

The stellar casts include:

CHARACTER ACTOR
Dr. Martin Dysart Dennis Brown
Alan Strang David Rodriguez
Hesther Salomon Susan O’Byrne
Dora Strang Dawn Harkins
Frank Strang Ken Schaefer
Jill Mason Jennifer Torchia
Harry Dalton Steve Blount
Nugget/Horseman Michael Hab
Nurse Carly Vadnais

Needless to say, I was impressed with this production of Equus…
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Review: Ranma 1/2 – Live Action Version

Yes, you read that correctly there is a live action version of Ranma 1/2 floating around out there, and before you asked I purchased my copy via EBay… and at a glance it would appear that there are still copies of it available.

First I found this little trailer via YouTube (unfortunately no English subtitles):

Before I purchased this anomaly I researched all that I could about this movie even locating the Facebook Page that was created for this live-action film.

But what is the movie about… officially? There is a long thorough summary over at Furinkan.com, but for the essence of spacing there is a shorter summary that I took from AsianWiki.

Akane (Yui Aragaki) is the youngest of three daughters for Soun Tendo. Her father Soun Tendo (Katsuhisa Namase) runs a dojo for martial arts. Akane hopes to carry on her father’s dojo into the distant future.

Meanwhile, Akane has been selected to marry Ranma (Kento Kaku), the son of her father’s long time friend Genma (Arata Furuta). Akane and Ranma’s relationship has developed into a love and hate relationship. Also, Ranma isn’t your typical boy. While on a training journey Ranma fell into the Spring of the Drowned Girl and now changes into a women whenever cold water is splashed on him. Warm water will allow him to revert back to a male. Problems arise when Akane’s father declares that the successor to their dojo must be a male. Now, Akane and Ranma (being a man only half of the time) must find a secret spring that can cure him of his curse.

After surfing a little more there was someone who did a video review of the Ranma 1/2 Live Action film and I highly recommend it:
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Endeavors: “A Piece of My Heart” by Shirley Lauro

Recently I was asked to participate in a production of “A Piece of My Heart”. I had other plans and ideas, other productions I wanted to audition for: but once I knew more of the story and the characters I realized that this was one of those stage productions that I would ultimately regret turning down.

From Shirley’s webpage about this stage play:

The true stories of six courageous women sent to Vietnam and their struggle to make sense of a war that irrevocably changed them and a nation that shunned them. A work with the music and soul of a tumultuous era in our history.

Also from the Samuel French website:

This is a powerful, true drama of six women who went to Vietnam: five nurses and a country western singer booked by an unscrupulous agent to entertain the troops. The play portrays each young woman before, during, and after her tour in the war-torn nation and ends as each leaves a personal token at the memorial wall in Washington.

Before I go on… typically I would not talk about any productions that I have been a part of because by that time I would have a very biased view of the production that I would be able to give a reasonable objective view. However, after the first read through and the first rehearsal I felt that it is necessary to write my thoughts and feelings down about this production else it might overwhelm me… it is that deep and thought provoking… right up my alley.

So for the sake of keeping this as objective as possible I will not mention the remainder of the cast, production team or where this production is going to take place… if you are interested in knowing more about this production you could message me directly from my personal Facebook Page or send me a tweet and I will provide the information. But for the purposes of this blog post I just won’t place any bias on this script and story.

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Review: Wheaton Drama’s Broadway Ballot (Act Two only!)

Show: BROADWAY BALLOT Location: Wheaton Drama
Director: Craig Gustafson

After my whirlwind weekend getaway up north in Minocqua, Wisconsin… I drove straight south back home and realized that if I pushed it, I would make it to see a few of my theatre friends at their Broadway Ballot. Granted I ended up missing the first Act (which had a few shows that I really wanted to see) but seeing the second act provided songs from shows that I am not typically a fan of, but now I would be kind of curious to see.

Below are all the songs that were featured in the second act of the Broadway Ballot at Wheaton Drama. What Wheaton Drama did was put on a kind of revue of a vast variety of Broadway songs from a variety of musicals and asked the audience to decide which shows they would love to see or not care to see at all. Then these ballots are tabulated and presented to the Wheaton Drama monthly meeting and from there they may use the data to decide what musicals to present for future seasons.

Regardless if the data would be used or not, in the end it was a fun revue / production and it helped bring in donations and dollars to the theatre group for their future productions. So all in all a win-win situation for an outsider looking in (aka myself).

From what I understand from those that were part of the production there were twenty-two performers who were singing twenty-six songs and they only had eleven rehearsals to do it. Now coming from someone that has been thrown into the thick of things a week before Opening weekends (including Shakespeare)… I can honestly say that I was expecting nothing less than fun, laughter, and entertainment and this group definitely delivered.

Taking a look at the official Ballot the revue is comprised of songs taken from a vast variety of shows: traditional and non-traditional, well and lesser known. A nice mixed bag with something for everyone to enjoy.
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Review: Il Divo & Orchestra In Concert World Tour – Chicago Stop

On a whim I decided to purchase a ticket to see Il Divo & Orchestra in Concert World Tour for the first of their two night stay in Chicago. Personally I have been a fan of Il Divo since their self-titled first album back in 2004, like most other women that fell in love with the group over the years the one song that caught my attention back then was the Spanish cover of Unbreak My Heart as sung by Toni Braxton: Regresa a Mi.

Still so good and dare I say it probably even better live. The staging for their current world tour is very similar to their DVD concert Live in London.

For that particular number the men dressed down a wee bit from their normal full Armani suits and serenaded the crowd… but one of the songs that they opened with was their rendition of Come What May from Moulin Rouge.

Their music repetoire to me appears to stretch across a vast variety of styles and songs, going from balladic pop (like Unbreak My Heart and Unchained Melody) to musical theatre (Impossible Dream, Somewhere), Latin / dance (La Vida Sin Amor) to other popera songs (Time to Say Goodbye). Their latest album and tour set list also largely reflects their expanding repetoire though if I were honest I would have liked to have heard more songs / music in the vein of the Latin / dance song: La Vida Sin Amor. However, this quartet isn’t known for their Latin roots, but rather for their romantic classical sound so I can’t complain too much since that is the sound that drew me to them in the first place. What was another major draw for me? The fact that not all of their songs was in English, in fact the majority of their covers are done in other languages be it Italian, Spanish, or French (as some of the primaries) which is a reflection of the international feel of this group (David is from the United States; Carlos is from Espana; Sebastian is known as the Frenchman in the group while Urs is Swiss).

Taking a look at the released set list for the current World Tour:

ACT ONE ACT TWO
Come What May
Dove L’Amore
Adagio
Nella fantasia
Medley (La Vida Sin Amor / Ti Amero / Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman / Angelina)
Don’t Cry For Me Argentina
Everytime I Look At You
Passera
Unchained Melody
My Way 		Senza Parole
Melanconia
Si Tu Mi Amas
Mama
Hallelujah
Crying
Ven A Mi
Regressa Mi
Por Que Tu Me Amas
Somewhere

There have been a few changes and adaptations from this original set list but the majority of the songs are correct. Il Divo balanced some of the songs from their newest album with plenty of old favorites from their previous four albums. They went through the entirety of the spectrum of music while staying true to themselves as artists and performers. They are entertainers in the same vein as the boy bands or pop princesses from the turn of the century but they entertain in their own way that just brings the audience and fans back for more.
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UPDATE: London 2012 Olympics Coverage

While the Olympics are going on, I will be posting my thoughts about them at the Pure TV Network blog.

GYMNASTICS
– United States Gymnastics Olympic Team (both Mens and Womens) the Qualification Round
– United States Mens Gymnastics Olympic Team Final Results
– United States Womens Gymnastics Olympic Team Final Results
– United States’ Danell Leyva and John Orozco in the Individual All-Around
– United States’ Alexandra Raisman and Gabrielle Douglas in the Individual All-Around Preview
– United States’ Alexandra Raisman and Gabrielle Douglas in the Individual All-Around Results
– United States Mens and Womens Gymanstics Individual Apparatus Preview

OTHER OLYMPIC COVERAGE
– Michael Phelps a Look Back
– The NBA at the Olympics

Other posts at the Pure TV Network:
– NBCs the Voice Season 3: Advisers to the Judges Chosen
– Stars Earn Stripes: NEW Celebrity Reality Show on NBC

Since the other shows that I watch are on hiatus due to the Olympics I will be focusing on wrapping up a few Pure Dancing with the Stars summer projects as well.
– Dancing with the Stars Season 15: Elimination Predictions w/o Professional Partners
– Dancing with the Stars Season 15: Who would you choose as the 13th Celebrity?

Hope to see you there!

“Convention”: Bristol Renaissance Faire

Before recently, I never been to the Bristol Renaissance Faire or Ren Fair for short. There were a few shows that I ended up watching, a couple of musical groups that I did rather enjoy. However, what impressed me the most: the shopping. Who would have thunk.

Below are some of the shows that particularly caught my interest:
2 Merry Men

Spin the “Wheel of Sin” and join Robin Hood and Little John as they sing you all the songs that you love so well. Twisted comedy and music, definitely not for the kiddies. Laugh and sing along with songs of burning pubs, dock side floozies, and yes…even a song about Moose. Just remember, what happens in the woods… STAYS in the woods!

Ok, I will grudgingly admit, they made me laugh… a lot. Granted I was a brat, a sarcastic brat, but a brat nonetheless. With so many songs dealing with one of the 7 Deadly Sins aka Lust… I got bored despite enjoying myself.

When “Robin” came out wearing a moose head over his… well… “Little Robin” (for lack of a better term) he made a crack comment of saying, “Look we come in 3D!!!” and proceeded to walk towards me jutting the moose head out right towards me. So what was a girl to do? Well I went and made a grab for the moose head.

Yes I am a brat.

Tartanic

The roar of bagpipes and the thunder of the drums can only mean one thing. Tartanic returns to thrill audiences with a show that truly defines “Shock and Awe!” Taking tunes out of the session and into the sensational with their own brand of humor and theatrics. This is not just music… this is an interactive spectacle brought to you by… MEN WITHOUT PANTS!

Having been a fan of Celtic music I was drawn to this group. Seeing semi-decent looking guys running around in kilts just does something you know? Their female counterpart eye candy for the males danced here and there and a couple even belly danced. Belly dancing to Celtic music? Yes please!

I was glad to have had the chance to listen to them because the weekend I went was the last weekend that they would be at the Ren Fair.
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Literary Review: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Title: Catching Fire
Author: Suzanne Collins
Format: Audiobook

The second book in the series we are re-introduced to Katniss and the world around her. She and Peeta have both made it out of The Hunger Games alive and relatively in one piece, but when Katniss admitted to Peeta that she didn’t really fall in love with him, she was just playing the game in an effort to keep the both of them alive. Except she is feeling a little broken hearted and the connection they felt while within the arena had virtually disappeared… at least according to Katniss.

We are introduced to the notion of the Quarter Quell… where every 25th Hunger Games there is a special twist that is added to the mix. During one Quarter Quell all the districts had to nominate the children to send into the Games, in another Quarter Quell all districts were expected to send double the tributes. In the third Quarter Quell all the tributes would be polled from the pool of previous living victors. In this case Katniss was automatically a part of the Quarter Quell and for the men it was between Haymitch and Peeta and as it would turn out, Peeta volunteered for the Quarter Quell.
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Literary Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Title: The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Format: Audiobook

So I finally got around to finishing out the trilogy that every one has been talking about for years. Yes I am that behind.

Unfortunately one of the things that kept me from reading / listening to the trilogy earlier was that a lot of the premise reminded me a lot of Battle Royale that was created back in 1999 with a movie adaptation in 2000.

I enjoyed Battle Royale despite the insane amount of blood, violence and sex… because the provocative storyline is something that I could see would happen in the not so distant future (which was the setting of the story in general).

Available summary of Battle Royale (from Amazon.com):

In an alternative future Japan, junior high students are forced to fight to the death! Koushun Takami’s notorious high-octane thriller is based on an irresistible premise: a class of junior high school students is taken to a deserted island where, as part of a ruthless authoritarian program, they are provided arms and forced to kill one another until only one survivor is left standing. Criticized as violent exploitation when first published in Japan — where it then proceeded to become a runaway bestseller — Battle Royale is a Lord of the Flies for the 21st century, a potent allegory of what it means to be young and (barely) alive in a dog-eat-dog world. Made into a controversial hit movie of the same name, Battle Royale is already a contemporary Japanese pulp classic.

A bit too close to that of the “present time” as opposed to The Hunger Games where the setting was post-current Earth. It would appear that a World War III of some sort occurred and now everyone is left in a very authoritarian world. In fact it was rumored that Albert Einstein once said:

I do not know with what kinds of weapons the Third World War will be fought, but the Fourth World War will be fought with sticks and stones.

Yeah, no kidding. In any case, to the fantasy / science-fiction mind a premise of using children as play pieces in a game / fight to the death is not a new premise. In fact this has been the kind of story from ancient times most typically:
– Gladiator style in ancient Roman times
– the mythology of the Minotaur where fourteen young sacrifices were given to please the monster in a massive maze

So it is rather believable that two authors could have come up with rather similar premises to create their stories. After a significant amount of time as passed I finally decided to listen to the audiobooks more out of curiosity than anything else.
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