An Unhealthy Obsession with “Killing Eve”

This post contains spoilers, so if you haven’t seen the show, please stop reading. Come back to this post after seeing the entire series.

08 April 2018 – was the day that would change the way I consume TV series.

I saw Sandra Oh on the poster (below) and that drew me to the show. A little google search and seeing the key words – spy and thriller – sold me on. In my opinion, “Killing Eve” has one of the best opening scenes. The first 2-3 minutes (I dub as the Ice Cream scene) set the tone of the entire show. This is also the first time we got a glimpse of what goes into the mind of a psychopath (a close up). What’s impressive is that there are no dialogues in the scene, everything was told in action and facial expressions, which said a whole lot about the show.

Since it’s going to be a while before we see the series finale (Season 4)… I have been re-watching the entire series for a very unhealthy amount of time. Every time I watch it, I find myself seeing something I have missed earlier or a realization that hits me why this certain scene was there in the episode. I am therefore writing them down to help me cope in the absence of a new season and impending closure (hopefully)… I love this show so much that I am reviving my blog just to write down my thoughts.

Things I like about the show:

1. Big Bold Letters – the show often opens with big bold letters of the place where the character is in. I feel like it’s screaming at my face which really signifies the BOLDNESS and DIRECTNESS of the show and they are not messing around.
2. OST – one of the best soundtrack! The songs add another layer into the storytelling – auditory. Listen to the Switched On Pop podcast episode: How to Soundtrack a Villain: Killing Eve https://switchedonpop.com/episodes/how-to-soundtrack-a-villain-killing-eve and for the collection of songs: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1ZZh5hB7Kz8DkpAfCdq4Rz?si=c8dd0264014049df It sounded as if the songs were written purely for the series, examples:
   • S01 E01 Ice Cream Scene – Xpectations by Unloved
   • S01 E01 Villanelle walking the streets of Paris – Il Voyage by Francoise Hardy
   • S01E02 when Villanelle sits down on the chair after finishing off a kill then transition to Eve meeting Carolyn in a restaurant – K by Cigarettes After Sex
   • S02E03 Villanelle behind the door when Eve was looking for her – Sigh by Unloved
   • S02E03 Konstantin and Villanelle in the car after getting away from MI6 – Listen to Your Heart by Roxette
   • S02E07 when Villanelle managed to put on the mic – One Way or Another by Blondie
   • S03E03 Bus Scene – Strange Effect by Unloved
   • S03E08 Bridge Scene – Tell Me by Johnny Jewel feat. Saoirse Ronan
   • Various songs that are from the different places featured in the show
3. Visually appealing sceneries and sets – re-watching this in the height of the pandemic lockdown helped me feel as if I was there. The places are really really picturesque.
4. Costumes – helped us understand the characters more. The way each was dressed says a lot about the characters of the show. Messy and simple Eve vs Flamboyant and colorful Villanelle (pink dress, S02E04 when someone asked for a photo; S02E03 teacher); Refined and neutral Carolyn. Even the way they talk, walk and things they do with their hands – like Eve pulling down her skirt in S01E03 says a lot about her character…
5. The Cast – I gush over how good Sandra Oh in portraying an average person, and Jodie Comer’s Villanelle is nothing compared to the other villains we see on TV and movies. Jodie’s facial expressions convey a lot – she’s definitely one of the best actors of this generation. I couldn’t see any other person playing this role. Watch Season 3 Episode 5 especially the last scene. They all deserve the awards! The rest of the cast – Kim Bodnia, Fiona Shaw, Sean Delany, Harriet Walter brought the show to a whole new level.
6. Brilliant dialogue and writing – you have to watch the show! Season 1 is the best.
7. How women are portrayed – Killing Eve shows women can be evil. Villanelle is not your typical assassin, she has broken every stereotype. What I also like is that each character is portrayed with flaws not Hollywood perfect which make them all relatable. I also love how mundane things are normalized in the show
   • S01E02 Villanelle was being assessed and she said having a heavy period…(love it!!!)
   • S01E03 Eve shaving her armpit and Bill said Eve should not wear a bra with that dress
   • Villanelle’s appreciation for the nice things in life
8. Parallelism, references and call out to past episodes – you have to pay attention to every single thing in this show.
   • Toilet brush
   • Lipstick with blade/knife inside
   • Mirror scene in S02E04 where Eve was gaining confidence while Villanelle was having a break down (?)
   • S02E05 where Eve tried to push another passenger vs S03E08 Villanelle killed Rhian in a train station

Killing Eve is one of the best TV shows for me. It made me feel happy, fearful, scared, sad, angry and a whole lot more all at the same time. Sometimes I question myself if this is how a psychopath think they feel? This show might be encouraging our monsters inside of us… LOL (S03E08)

A few interesting points/realizations about the show:

• The men that Villanelle killed begged for their lives (prior to being killed) and always said they have a wife and kids. Will you also beg for your life when there’s a gun to your head?
• Is it difficult to be a bad person? (scene with Irina)
• Villanelle is exploited by “The Twelve”
• What does it really mean if you desire to be “normal”? Villanelle wanted to be normal and wants Eve’s “normal” life, while Eve wanted excitement…

Listen to “Obsessed With” podcast by BBC Radio for more interesting deep dive of the show… https://open.spotify.com/episode/0Mn5mLVyqZZIbc2zVz8BgW?si=b2947631bef047b5

Looking forward to Season 4!

It’s been a long time since I got obsessed with a show.

Cheers,

N.

Funny Girl Takes on the World: Partners Album Review

I became aware of Barbra Streisand’s music when she did a duet with Bryan Adams, “Finally Found Someone”, and that epic duet with Celine Dion, “Tell Him”. I was captivated by her distinct voice and how well she harmonizes with the melody – strong yet subtle. Yes, I sounded confusing there… even Jimmy Fallon can’t properly describe Barbs’ voice.  BUT you can easily tell if it’s Barbra Streisand singing. It has that kind of signature that sticks…

I have almost all of her albums but I honestly love listening to the Live in Concert 2006 because I always imagined myself seeing that concert live, as if I was really there. Sigh… if Barbra Streisand is in the top of Lionel Ritchie’s list of people to do a duet with, it’s in my list of artists to see live!  Lionel Ritchie’s dream may have come true already… but thank God for this new album – Partners!

After listening to the entire album, I instantly loved it. This is probably one of the most highly anticipated albums of the year (esp. by any die-hard Barbs fan) and probably one of the best albums released this year. My God, it’s amazing how her voice hasn’t even changed that much despite her age. She really does take great care of her voice… She still hit those high notes and even sustaining them. Wow, just wow…I am at a lost for words…

What’s also amazing are the partners that she chose to include and the new arrangements of Barbs classics. I love all of the tracks – they’re all beautiful and refreshing!!!

There are quite a number of tracks that really took me by surprise –

1. Evergreen (duet with Babyface)

“Love soft as an easy chair, love fresh as the morning air…”

– The vocals/backing vocals in the track by Babyface gave it that R&B twist which sounded just brilliantly amazing!

“Ever…ever…evergreen….”

2. I’d Want It To Be You (duet with Blake Shelton)

“You’re still sweet as the honey bee after all these years, you’ll always be that funny girl to me.”

– Who would have thought country would suit Barbra Streisand’s voice? Barb did showcased that she can do country, well any genre for that matter.

– I also love the lyrical references to Blake Shelton’s Honey Bee and Barb’s Funny Girl.  I find it cute and quite charming.

“Sometimes if you’re lucky, you find that certain someone you can count on to be true… If I had the choice of only one friend in this world, you know that I’d want it to be you..”

3. How Deep Is The Ocean (duet with son, Jason Gould)

– Never thought her son could sing! This song is just perfect for this mother-son tandem. Just breathtakingly beautiful.

I know this album will go straight to number 1 in the charts, no doubt about it!

Definitely, a must-have! I have the entire album on repeat since yesterday when I got my copy!

You can get it here!

Chow,

N.

P.S. I also like the new take on “What Kind of Fool” (duet with John Legend)!

Living Life To The Fullest

Movies are not just there to entertain us, but they also teach us a thing or two about life.

I recently watched the film, “Meet Joe Black (1998)” – Finally, as I have been putting it off due to various circumstances – starring Anthony Hopkins, Brad Pitt, and Claire Forlani. I found the film beautiful and heart-warming, and hard to believe that it has only a 51% rating in Rotten Tomato (but it got a pretty high 7.1/10 in IMDB)!!! Some found it to be slow paced, dragging and lengthy. Well, for me, despite its lengthy running time, I was never bored throughout the film. I was even intrigued by the events unfolding before me. While Anthony Hopkins (who played Will Parrish in the film) was no doubt, as always, good (no wait, this is an understatement, excellent!) in his role, I think Claire Forlani who played Susan (daughter of Will Parrish), gave an amazing performance. I loved how she acted – her eyes, her body language showed the vulnerability of Susan.  And, Brad Pitt is so charming… I think his performance was also good.  Why don’t they make movies like this anymore?

I don’t think the film’s overdone but rather it is an elegant film that will transcend time (in simple terms – a classic!). Some may also be cynical about the plot or the core story of the film (You may read IMDB or Wikipedia for the plot of the film.) – they failed to see that this is a fantasy/mystery film – a product of one’s imagination and the what-if’s scenarios. The thing that’s wonderful in a fantasy film is that you get to create your own universe – no matter how closely realistic it is or insanely far off, as long as there is a story to tell. Things are often exaggerated in fantasy films to point out a fact for us to see, to reflect upon, and even sometimes to make sense of whatever it is…

There were a lot of scenes that I really like in this film. This is just one of the many – and the thing that made me think about the topic of this blog – the conversations between Will and Susan in the beginning of the film:

“I know it’s a cornball thing, but love is passion. Obsession. Someone you can’t live without. I say fall head over heels. Find someone you can love like crazy, and who’ll love you the same way back. How do you you find ’em? Well, you forget your head and you listen to your heart. I’m not hearing any heart. Because the truth is, honey, there’s no sense living your life without this. To make the journey and not fall deeply in love, well, you haven’t lived a life at all. But you have to try, because if you haven’t tried, you haven’t lived.” – Will Parrish

Will wanted Susan to fall in love – be swept away and I quote, “I want you to levitate. I want you to sing with rapture and dance like a Dervish.”  in order to live life the fullest. I find this partly true but made me think and ask,  So how do you live life to the fullest?  Is jumping off cliffs or planes one of the many ways? Is falling crazy (or madly!) in love one way or the only way? Death (played by Brad Pitt) did admire Will because he lived a full life (and an interesting one, according to Death).

So what then? Do you have to do all the things in your bucket list to live life to the fullest? Are we measuring life on how much we crossed off the list? Or how many times our hearts get broken? Or how many times we took that leap of faith? Counting our successes and/or failures? I’m just asking…

I don’t have the answers but the film made me realize certain things about life and death (and taxes!). In my view, one can’t say that you have lived life to the fullest definitively. I’d rather put it this way – when death comes – your life does not flash in front of you to things you regret not doing. Well, that’s just me.

I haven’t really figured out life too. Maybe we got the entire lifetime to figure it out or maybe not.

So how do you live life to the fullest? Who knows maybe this is just the beginning, a prelude to something greater?

Cheers,

N.

Letters…

I enjoy writing letters as much as I enjoy receiving them. Yes, I am that old-fashioned and sentimental.

My love for writing letters began in 2nd year high school, the same time my older sister left for Singapore. My older sister and I were brought up to be like twins even though we’re really not. She has always been the person I run to whenever I had troubles in school that I didn’t want our mother to know (I was scared of being scolded and beaten which she clearly understood). We shared a room, secrets and dreams – we were the best of friends. With her going away, a part of me was suddenly lost. The person that I talk to with just about anything in this world was moving to some place far (Internet wasn’t really that as accessible as today). Writing letters, in a way, became my refuge. Receiving letters were something I look forward to each day going to school. I still remember the anticipation, and the excitement like it’s the only thing that mattered in this world. Yes, just like in the old times when writing letters was the most convenient way of communicating.

I think not many people know that I had a pen-pal in high school. My pen-pal and I were batch mates and were introduced to one another during 1st year high school. We were neither classmates nor org-mates. And the funny thing was we never knew that we would end up becoming close friends. As letters were exchanged, our friendship grew over time. The letters served as the main means for us to communicate, apart from the long hours of telephone calls during Friday nights and occasional text messages sent during weekends. We sometimes meet up during the 5 to 15 minute-recess (which I found very limited and precious) we had and would just sit by or walk around the quadrangle and talk. When I think about it now, all we really did was talk. We would talk about anything from the most mundane things to the philosophical thoughts we had. There were no hesitations to speak what’s on our mind. We didn’t hold back anything from one another. The conversations I had with her would probably be one of the most honest that I had (apart from my family). I terribly miss those conversations.

The letters were often filled with stories about how our day went sometimes a gossip on crushes, a joke, a song, a book or a poem with a little artwork on the side. The letters were written on different types of paper – ¼ pad, yellow pad, intermediate pad, crosswise paper or fancy stationary (when we could afford to buy one) which were intricately folded with those “smile before you open” or stickers on the flap. The letters were mostly sent through our common classmates or trusted friends. I have kept all of the letters – every single one of them no matter how much space they take up in my closet – including the cards and the only artwork she did (the traced drawing of Blues Clues and Bart Simpson including a short poem she wrote about our friendship). The letters went on until we graduated high school.

I still read those letters from time to time and they never fail to put a smile on my face.

I would still prefer getting letters than emails or SMS because a lot of effort and thought are put into writing a letter. You can deduce a lot of things in a letter – the tone (whether happy or sad), manner of handwriting (whether it’s written leisurely or in a rush which would convey a sense of urgency) and the amount of pressure of the pen pressed against the paper. And there’s a personal touch that is something that’s between you and the sender.

I have nothing against technology but sometimes because of the convenience it afforded us, we take it for granted. We conveniently hold back what we truly think and feel. We write (or type in) what we initially wanted to say but often delete them and would choose another thing to say to appear polite or to avoid appearing foolish or pathetic or needy. But let’s face it, we’re all needy in some ways. We all crave attention and are so obsessesed with the idea of finding that someone to truly connect with – finding the right one and the one true love. That’s why social media has been very very popular among us and successful.

I guess we’ve become too mindful of how we would appear to others and how they would judge us.  Because of this, we are unconsciously denying others the chance to see through us and even to a point of becoming dishonest to ourselves.

Well, these are just some of my thoughts… I just needed to write them down.

Cheers,

N.

P.S. This entry was partly inspired by:

Music: By Your Side – Sade

Movie: “Her”, “About Time”, and “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”

Tegan and Sara’s Heartthrob (2013): Album Review

I stumbled upon the Canadian rock duo – Tegan and Sara (they’re twins!) on YouTube. I usually scour YouTube every so often for new music to listen to or music videos to watch to stay updated with mainstream music and expand my music library just because I love music and since the idea of becoming an accomplished musician seems far-fetched now, I’d rather become a manager or producer some day. But for now, I’ll just appreciate the music. Tegan and Sara’s “Closer” music video showed up on my “What to Watch” feed. I got intrigued, clicked on the video, and  immediately got hooked by the time the song started… especially that “come a little closer” thing that Tegan does. And it became a Tegan and Sara music video spree! I watched all of their music videos uploaded on YouTube. And I am now fan – an avid listener of their music.

Heartthrob Album

Their seventh studio album, “Heartthrob” was released on January 29, 2013. Wait, that’s the 7th already? It’s a shame that I became aware of Tegan and Sara’s music a bit tad late.  The only song I knew was from their “So Jealous” album, “Where Did The Good Go” – just because I heard this played in one of the Grey’s Anatomy episode (if I remember it correctly!). It has been on my iPod for a couple years now but I never really bothered discovering more from them. But, better late than never!

I love their latest album “Heartthrob” – how it sounded so different from their previous records and so unique.  Best of all, they’re such amazing songwriters -they write smart lyrics and catchy tunes! They know where to put the hook on every song. I love how they used a lot of different instruments  in this album. The variety gave depth to their sound and musicality. I also love that they did a track-by-track discussion, explaining what inspired them to write the songs (The videos are uploaded on YouTube, you can check them out there). I sometimes like how artists share their experiences on how they came up with the song because it sometimes explains the meaning behind every word. It gives you a whole new perspective on interpreting the song.

I highly recommend listening to their music and getting a copy of their “Heartthrob” album! For the first-timers, I think after listening to “Heartthrob”, you will also love their other albums. Definitely, a must-have! And a great introduction to T&S.

Here’s one of my favorite songs from “Heartthrob” album – “How Come You Don’t Want Me” (Live version) – Sara wrote this song!

And to show how good they are – a cover of Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time”

Enjoy!

N.

Unbearable Lightness by Portia de Rossi: Book Review

“Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain” is the first memoir written by a celebrity that I have ever read, that is, if my memory serves me right. It was surprisingly good – well written! Portia de Rossi was articulate, honest, and candid throughout the book. I applaud for her courage in writing this book and sharing the most horrible part of her life. It gave me a profound understanding of self-worth and how the mind of a person suffering from an eating disorder works. For this, she has definitely earned my admiration. Glad she’s happy where she is right now…

This book forces you to reflect on your life – the important things in your life and how far would you go just to be “socially acceptable”. We’re often blinded by our obsessions on how people perceive us that sometimes we unintentionally hurt the people who cared about us most. We’ve been busy living our lives that often we neglect the things that really matters – i.e., our health. Without our health, all the success, fame and money will be worth nothing and will become meaningless.

The book may sound selfish and self-centered for some readers but I think we should understand that the story is told in her perspective – when she was still suffering from an eating disorder and trying to accept her sexuality.

And in this corner… It’s Buttered vs. Battered

Getting into old age may have its perks but it also comes with a gradual loss of control of the mind as our body detriorates. Discussions may become repetitive, shallow and often times frustrating to listen to – Just like my dad who’ll always (yes,  ALWAYS) insist that he’s right, like he knows a lot of things even though what he really know is just the tip of the iceberg. Through the years, I have learned how to deal with it but sometimes, I too, lose my temper. Dealing with older parents is quite cumbersome than you think.

We were having dinner and were discussing about my sister’s wedding, then the roasted chicken which was our dinner was brought up. My mom told me that she bought it from a restaurant that sells the popular “Lemon Chicken”. When I was a kid, we used to buy their chicken, “Buttered Chicken” – deep fried with crispy skin that we all love to pick on.  So, the discussion between “Buttered” vs “Battered”. Round 1 begins! Ding-ding-ding!

Taken from supersport.com

Again, my dad insisted that the restaurant had it all wrong, that it should be “Battered” instead of “Buttered”. I was already getting irritated by his other remarks such making reference to peanut butter – where’s the “butter” in the peanut butter? Oh dear, come on, give me a break! He said that it should be “Battered” because the chicken was coated with “Batter” and deep fried. I just said no, it was not a mistake. The word butter can mean something else other than the dairy product that you know. It can also be a verb! Why not ask the owner himself to verify instead of making a pointless argument here. So I decided to make a research to substantiate my arguments because I believe the restaurant did name it intentionally as “Buttered”.  Sigh, I’m now starting to question the intelligence of my dad and his education… What was he like as a student? Mind you, I’m not close to my dad, we have irreconcilable differences, and we never see eye to eye on most of the things. But we can live harmoniously as long as we stay in our own corners. And so to clear things up, here it goes.

Butter can be a noun or a verb. According to The Free Dictionary, butter, as noun, refers to

“a soft yellowish or whitish emulsion of butterfat, water, air, and sometimes salt, churned from milk or cream and processed for use in cooking and as a food”

as a verb, it refers to

“To put butter on or in, to apply a liquefied bonding material to (a piece or area), as mortar to a course of bricks or to flatter”

It can take the form of “buttered, buttering, butters”

I really think the owner named it as “Buttered Chicken” as “Battered Chicken” sounds a little off, as “Battered” also means repeated beatings or physical abuse. You might think that the chicken was actually “Battered” and cooked.

“Buttered” really do sound better and more appealing to me. What do you think?

I rest my case.  That would be the end of this topic.

From bleachreport.com

Ah, the perks *sarcasm* of living with old age parents!

Chow,

N.

Rock of Ages, A Rock/Jukebox Musical

Today I had the most wonderful opportunity to catch the re-run of Rock of Ages in Manila. I’ve been praying for this since it’s first run last year. Thank heavens for re-runs!

Rock of Ages is staged by Atlantis Production and directed by Chari Arespacochaga with Mig Ayesa as Staccee Jaxx, Nyoy Volante as Drew Boley, Vina Morales as Sherrie Christian, Jett Pangan as Lonny, Jamie Wilson as Dennis, Aiza Seguerra as Regina, and Rachel Alejandro as Justice. (Yes, it’s a star-studded cast. One of the most powerful cast I’ve seen since the Avenue Q run in 2010, also by Atlantis Production).

The entire run was lighthearted and comedic. I had a good laugh throughout the show with Jett Pangan’s witty remarks as Lonny. But I think it was Aiza who surprised me the most. Just WOW. I won’t go into detail so as to not spoil it to anyone who’s watching. Mig Ayesa was perfect for Stacee Jaxx! Couldn’t think of anyone better! (Better than Tom Cruise in the film in my opinion!). Must I say, he has one hell of a body and one powerful voice! And last but not the least… Nyoy showcased his versatility as a performer. He first surprised me in “In The Heights” when he rapped! And now, he ROCKS!!! I gave the show a standing O. The show runs only until July 28!

So glad I caught this re-run since Rachel Alejandro joined this year! So maybe it’s a blessing in disguise that I wasn’t able to catch it last year. Hmmm….

Time for some 80’s classic rock! It will take weeks before I get rid of this LSS.

Rockin’ out,

N.

Trance – “No Piece of Art is Worth A Human Life”

I came across the film, Trance, when I was looking for a good movie to watch. I saw a rating of 7.20 by IMDB and decided to give it a try. What is this film all about with a rating that high? There was a one liner synopsis of the film that said,

“An art auctioneer who has become mixed up with a group of criminals partners with a hypnotherapist in order to recover a lost painting.”

I thought this was one of those action packed films where one guy goes undercover to retrieve a painting and catch the bad guys. And so I thought, but I was entirely wrong about it. The synopsis was misleading but it’s okay at least I was caught off guard and surprised by how the events turned out.  If you decide to watch this film, I suggest you to stop reading this blog as I recommend watching the film by “going in blind”. If you’re craving for an Inception type of film to watch, this might be it!

So after watching the film, I did a little research… Just to know how many people are raving about this film.

According to Wikipedia, Trance is a 2013 British psychological thriller film directed by Danny Boyle (Yes, the same guy who directed Slumdog Millionaire) and stars James McAvoy (Atonement and X-Men First Class), Rosario Dawson (my new favorite actress), and Vincent Cassel (played Thomas in The Black Swan).  The entire film is about 101 minutes long.

Here’s the synopsis directly lifted from Wikipedia,

Simon, a fine art auctioneer, becomes involved in the theft of a painting from his own auction house. When Simon’s colleague Franck tries to check the painting during the heist Simon attacks him and receives a blow to the head that leaves him with amnesia. Franck returns home only to discover that the painting has disappeared. Realising that Simon has double-crossed him, he and his offsiders kidnap and torture him. However, Simon has no memory of where he has hidden the painting, and Franck decides to hire a hypnotherapist to try and help him remember.

Simon chooses – seemingly at random – a woman named Elizabeth Lamb to hypnotise him.

Elizabeth and Franck start a relationship and he suggests that she try to seduce Simon to find the painting. She has sex with Simon and hypnotises him. He has a dream where Franck and his associates plan to kill Simon, but he kills them. In the dream, he calls Elizabeth and tells her where the painting is, remembering it.

Simon awakens, only to find Elizabeth has gone. On her way to get the painting, Simon begs her not to. Franck and his associates show up and Elizabeth takes Franck to find the painting. She kisses Simon and passes three bullets. He attacks Franck with a fire extinguisher and takes the other bullets and his gun. Elizabeth goes back into the apartment, where one of Franck’s associates tries to rape her. Simon kills all three of them and takes Elizabeth to get the painting. She tells him to let Franck come with them. He drives them to a parking garage where the painting is.

While there, Elizabeth mentions an abusive relationship she was in. She reveals that Simon was one of her previous clients. They started dating and he became obsessive, eventually abusive and jealous. She kept hypnotising him to forget her and steal a painting for the woman he hurt. They arrive at the garage and take off to the warehouse in a car that Simon claims the painting is in.

On the day of the heist, he was attacked by Franck and awoke several hours later. He received a text from Elizabeth, telling him to bring the painting to her. While attempting to do so he is hit by a car while crossing the road. The female driver planned to take him to hospital, but Simon, his memory now regained, thinks the woman is Elizabeth. He strangles “Elizabeth” for making him forget her. He hides her corpse and the painting in the trunk and hid the car in a garage. They arrive at the warehouse, where Elizabeth finds the painting and the body. Simon douses the car and a handcuffed Franck in gasoline and shoots the ground, setting the car on fire. He tells Elizabeth to run away with the painting. She escapes and drives away in a truck. She returns in the vehicle and drives it into the warehouse where she heads toward Simon, pinning him in between the two cars, sending Simon and Franck and the car he is trapped in into the river.

Franck somehow escapes, while it is implied that Simon drowns. Suddenly, it turns out that the movie has been Franck looking back on it, while swimming. He gets out of the pool and receives a package. He opens the package and finds an iPad. He pushes a button on the screen and watches a video of Elizabeth talking about the painting, which is now hanging in her apartment. She asks him if he wants to forget and a button for an app called “Trance” appears as the video ends. Franck hesitates at first, then the screen cuts to black before we are able to see if he presses the button or not.

I like the film a lot… It’s probably one of the best I’ve seen in this category by far. I love how they told the story in an “un-linear” way. The story slowly unfolding to you as you get deeper into the film and get to know the characters. In the end, you understand everything, every bits and pieces that were handed to you in the beginning. All those loose ends come together, rounding it up – you come full circle then you’re left hanging in the end. I like films that don’t give it all away in the beginning that it becomes too predictable and I lose interest. I sometimes like to be teased then proven wrong as more clues are given then see the big picture. There’s suspense and you’re left on the edge of your seat for most of the time… wanting to know more what the film is really all about. The film dealt with addiction, obsession, relationship, and love. Ah, the things we do for love!

And one more thing I’d like to point out that really stood out – Rosario Dawson! She did really well in portraying Elizabeth. Hands down! That’s all I can say… Just watch the film and you’ll know why.

Aside from the wonderful visuals, the music also plays a big role in creating the “feel” of the film. A certain scene comes to life with music that fits perfectly. Here It Comes is one of the soundtrack of the film, sung by Emeli Sande  and Rick Smith. Emeli sounded really really wonderful. The song fitted perfectly, creating that certain mood towards the end of the film.

An underrated kick-ass film with a wonderful soundtrack! Definitely a must-see!

N.

Kylie Minogue’s The Abbey Road Session: Album Review

As promised, here’s my review on Kylie Minogue’s 25th anniversary album.

To mark her 25th year in the music industry, Kylie released an album entitled “The Abbey Road Sessions”. I say, this is definitely a must-have for both fans, non-fans and haters. Why? Because for the non-fans and haters, you will change your mind after listening thru the entire album. And this just shows how good Kylie is… – transcending generations and genres.  She’s one of the best pop singer and  has proven that she has the voice.  She wouldn’t last 25 years if she isn’t good, right? You can hear it pretty well here in the album. Barred of all those electric, dance pop tunes, auto-tunes, and mixes. This is the real thing – stripped down acoustic!

The album includes all her major hits -all rearranged brilliantly. Including strings into the arrangement made it all the more wonderful. “Eargasm!” I must say Kylie’s got one of the best arrangers on her team. You have to listen to the entire album to know what I’m talking about. There are some songs that I like more than the original, as I can appreciate the song more with the new arrangement.

Here are some of the tracks that I would like to highlight:

1. Better The Devil You Know – This was originally released in 1990 from her studio album Rhythm of Love as a dance pop tune – fast paced (Note: Kylie did dance tunes). Kylie did just the opposite here, turning the song into a ballad – slow, soothing, and full of emotions; opening the song with the piano. Just like what David Foster did for “I Will Always Love You”…Turning into one of the best songs of all time. The Steps also did a version of this song.

“I’ll forgive and forget, if you say you’ll never go…”

I  sing my heart out every time I hear this song.

2. Hand On Your Heart – Originally released in 1989 from her studio album Enjoy Yourself.  This is on of my favorite Kylie song – brilliantly written! When Kylie opened the song with the lines,

“Put your hand on your heart and tell me that we’re through…”

you will immediately be captivated. The guitar chords that were played throughout the song together with the drums and Kylie’s raw voice really turned this song into something new, refreshing to the ears.

3. Locomotion – The most popular song of Kylie… with dozens of versions already made…. how else can you re-arrange this song? The version in this album was just mind-blowing! The song opened with the sound of brasses, bringing in that jazzy feel to the song and will still surely make you dance.

The album also included “Where the Wild Roses Grow” and the unreleased single  “Flower” which was written by Kylie herself for her unborn child (She did want to have her own children). Other songs included – All The Lovers, On A Night Like This, I Believe In You, Come Into My World, Finer Feelings, Confide In Me (strings arrangement is just better than the original. I like it more), Slow, Can’t Get You Out of My Head, I Should Be So Lucky, Love at First Sight, and Never Too Late (I also like the version in this album than the original!).

The Abbey Road Session will truly be a gem to every Kylie fans’ album collection.

For the non-fans and haters,

“It’s never too late to change your mind.”

Chow!

N.

P.S. Come to think of it, it’s also the 1 year anniversary of my blog! Cheers to us!