Ramblings of a Geek

Movie Review: Contagion

2012-02-10T10:29:00.002-05:00

Last weekend, my mom, who is the resident science expert in the house, and myself decided to watch this thriller.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

"Contagion" takes place over a period of a few months in the world. It begins with Gwyneth Paltrov's character Beth Emhoff returning home from a trip to Hong Kong... and bringing with her an unknown illness. Beth and her son both succumb to the disease quickly, leaving behind Beth's husband Mitch (played by Matt Damon) and their daughter. The CDC and WHO, meanwhile, are realizing what is going on and that they have a potential epidemic on their hands. The CDC works to calm the frightened population down, impose quarantine on certain cities, and try to find a cure for the disease while the WHO sends Dr. Orantes (played by Marion Cotillard) to track down the disease's origin. As things degenerate into chaos, a conspiracy theorist blogger Alan Krumwiede (played by Jude Law) claims that the CDC and government are conspiring and that the cure for the disease is a homeopathic remedy called forsythia.

Despite the movie having several characters and several plots going on at the same time, the movie made sense and was not confusing. The plot was set at a good pace and kept you engaged, wondering what was going to happen next. I thought, however, that the movie tied up a little too nicely and that everything seemed to be resolved too quickly given the tense situation with the epidemic and the time-frame of its spread. Some of the characters might not have been entirely memorable, but I thought the actors nonetheless did a decent job.

One big issue I had with the film was its propaganda. It was pro-government control in how the CDC and WHO were portrayed (except towards the end when Dr. Orantes learns that they tricked a village of Chinese people), and it was pro-vaccines, which I have personal issue with. Another issue is the portrayal of Jude Law's character, that people who are anti-vaccines and pro-homeopathic remedies are scumbags looking to make money off of desperate people. Even though I am certain there are people like Krumwiede out there, I took personal offense because I far prefer homeopathic remedies over what are generally considered to be safe cures for diseases and I'm generally skeptical of the medical industry to begin with.

Despite its faults, "Contagion" was a genuinely entertaining movie. Not amazing or something to watch over and over again, but definitely something to watch every once in a while for a good thriller about an epidemic.

I give it four out of five stars.

Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes- Game of Shadows

2011-12-28T23:20:00.003-05:00

Over Christmas weekend, I went out with some friends to see "Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows," sequel to Guy Ritchie's "Sherlock Holmes."

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

"Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows" takes place at some point after its predecessor. It begins with Holmes believing that seemingly unconnected crimes are actually the work of college professor James Moriarty, who has something sinister up his sleeve. While out celebrating Watson's wedding that will take place the next day, Holmes meets up with a Gypsy girl named Simza who is somehow connected to Moriarty through her anarchist brother. Holmes, dragging along Watson who worries about his new bride, and Simza journey to Paris, Germany, and Switzerland as they try to stop Moriarty and his evil scheme.

One problem I had with the first "Sherlock Holmes" was that the plot was sort of scatter-brained and did not seem to be very smooth. In this movie, the plot was even worse, and it was difficult to understand. I did not understand Holmes' reasons for the move to each place and how he came to his conclusions about Moriarty. Much like the first one, certain scenes would be repeated to show that Holmes was really working something else and that something else was going on that will actually change the outcome; this time, however, it felt more like a cop-out and did not flow smoothly with the plot or the rest of the story. The movie also seemed too long. I was expecting it to be over by the time that the characters got to the train, but, no, it kept going on. I also noticed that my sister, who was in the party, frequently looked at her cell phone clock and which indicated that she too was bored with the movie.

Even though the plot of the first movie was scatterbrained, it was enjoyable because of the character interactions and their witty dialogue. This movie, however, fell flat. Holmes and Watson were no longer entertaining or bouncing off of each other. Holmes also looked jealous for most of the movie, jealous that Watson was getting married, and it led to some rather awkward scenes, which I'll mention later. The characters themselves were dull and nothing special. Holmes was eccentric, but it was not truly memorable or funny like it had been in the first movie. Watson looked more like he was tagging along rather than actually helping his friend. I was excited when I heard that Jared Harris would be playing Moriarty because I had liked him on "Fringe," but his character here was dull and nothing really memorable, which is a shame because he can act so much better.

Another problem I had with the movie was the content. The first movie was relatively clean, with no language and no sex/ sexual references (except for the very brief scene with Holmes and the pillow), but this one was different. There were several awkward scenes between Holmes and Watson that almost came across as being semi-homosexual, such as when they're wrestling in the train car after Holmes throws Watson's new bride Mary into the river. The scene where Holmes' brother Mycroft is nude was totally unnecessary and in bad taste. The scene of Holmes dressed like a woman was obviously done for laughs, but the way it was handled only served to worsen already-awkward scenes between Holmes and Watson.

Perhaps it was because the writers wanted to redeem the plot, but the content of the movie was uncalled for and looked as if it was added more for laughs. Another thing that was added that could have been left out were the number of slow-motion scenes. Some of the scenes looked more like they were trying to explain how Holmes thinks (which the first movie used), but here they were used in over-abundance and became annoying. In particular, the scene where the Germans are firing on Watson, Holmes, and Sim was slow-motion for most of the time, and it made me want things to speed up so that the scene would just end. These things were likely added to make the audience forget about the slow, convoluted plot, but they only served to worsen, not redeem, the movie.

I was disappointed in "Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows." I had expected something similar to the first movie, but it ended up being worse than the first, not improving on the first's issues and adding extra and unnecessary special effects and crude innuendo to distract the audience.

I give it two stars out of five.

CD review: "Celtic Christmas" by Orla Fallon

2011-12-05T11:23:00.003-05:00

In honor of the Christmas holiday, I will give a review of Orla Fallon's "A Celtic Christmas." She released the album and DVD last year, but the holiday passed before I had a chance to review it.

"Joy to the World"

Orla starts off her album with this joyful rendition of the popular Christmas carol, accompanied by a choir and by a background fiddler. I got to give her credit for singing the entire hymn and not leaving stanzas out. This currently is my favorite version of the song, and it's a good start to the album.

"I Saw Three Ships"

Orla continues being upbeat with this Christmas song. Accompanied by a flute and some percussion, she adds a cheerful playfulness, and you can hear her smiling as she sings. This is another one of my favorites from the album.

"Do You Hear What I Hear"

Orla becomes more subdued though no less powerful as she sings this song. She is accompanied by her harp and by former Celtic Woman Meav. This song is stunning, and it is nice to hear Meav singing again since her departure from CW in 2007. This is another favorite from the album.

"It Came upon a Midnight Clear- The First Noel"

This song is divided between the two popular Christmas hymns. The first half is slower but beautiful, reminding me of "The Mermaid" from Orla's debut album except for the background orchestra. There is an interlude with the pipes, and then the song changes key for "The First Noel." The second half is also pretty, even though Orla only sings the first stanza and the chorus. The entire song is very pretty and flows much more smoothly than the combinations on Orla's "Winter, Fire, and Snow" album.

"Little Drummer Boy"

Against the background of a guitar and a drumbeat, Orla sings this as a duet with Vince Gill. This song is not one of my personal favorites, as I'm not a fan of Gill's vocals and the two voices seemed unevenly matched for a duet. Then there is that odd little section in the middle where there are extra lyrics that aren't from the original song, and it seems thrown-in there.

"Silent Night"

This song starts off strong, with Orla singing the first stanza in Gaelic. Then David Archuleta sings the first stanza in English by himself. Then the two combine, with Orla in Gaelic and Archuleta in English; I personally am not fond of this, as it sounds messy. I again think the duet is very uneven. Their "Pat-a-Pan" is a little better, even though that version is not on the CD.

"A Soulin'"

I am not familiar with this Christmas song, but I personally find this version very annoying. I skip it every time I listen to the album.

"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"

This song sort of reminds me of Orla's earlier "The First Noel." It's pretty though not one of my favorites on the album.

"Bells of Christmas"

If you listened to Orla's "Winter, Fire, and Snow" album, you will recognize this song from that album. Except there are a few differences between the two versions. This song is pretty, but I prefer listening to the original version.

"Away in a Manger"

Orla sings this version acapella with Irish choral group Anuna providing the background vocals. It is pretty, though I personally prefer the version Orla did with Celtic Woman.

"Emmanuel"

Orla sings this acapella again, just like she did on "Winter, Fire, and Snow." I am 80% sure that this is the exact same version that she released on that other album; in that aspect, it almost doesn't fit with the rest of the album's ethereal sound.

Compared to "Winter, Fire, and Snow," this album is vastly improved though not perfect. Orla puts much more passion into her singing, and this sounds more like her enjoying herself, which was not the case in the other album. The album started off strong with its first four pieces, but after that the songs were either ok or not as good as original versions. Except for her song with Meav, I was not impressed with Orla's other duets, as the vocals seemed unevenly matched and did not flow together very well.

The album was ok and not one of my favorite Christmas albums. There are some strong songs, but the others are either hit-or-miss for me.

I give the album three stars out of five.

CD Review: "Anamceol" by Deirdre Shannon

2011-11-17T19:59:00.000-05:00

In the spring of this year, former Celtic Woman member Deirdre Shannon released her second solo CD titled "Anamceol." She celebrated this release by offering a special deal of an autographed copy of the CD. I ordered the CD but unfortunately, for whatever reason, mine was not autographed. Nonetheless, the CD was worth it on its own.

"Follow the Heron"

This stunning song is about the coming of spring and the departure of winter. The lyrics are rich in their description, and Deirdre's voice soars as she sings them. This song is an excellent start to the album and one of my personal favorites.

"John O'Dreams"

This song is about John O'Dreams, a mythological Irish figure who has some connection to death (the insert in the CD explains it better). The dark lyrics are offset in a somewhat odd way by the more up-beat tune. Nonetheless, it is a pretty and catchy song.

"Maid of Culmore"

After the previous two pieces being more powerful, Deirdre becomes more subdued here, though she loses none of her emotion. This song is about a beautiful girl from Culmore who captures the heart of a man but leaves him heart-broken when she sails to America, causing him to go after her.

"Bonny Blue-Eyed Nancy"

This romantic song is about a young man who loves the beautiful Nancy, who is considered too low for him, but he remains loyal to her. Deirdre sings this beautiful song with tenderness and passion.

"Gartan Mother's Lullaby"

This Irish lullaby, which Orla Fallon fans will recognize from her debut album, is beautifully sung by Deirdre. The song is subdued and lovely, one of the highlights of the album. The background noise of water helps to give the song a very soothing atmosphere.

"Silent O Moyle"

Fans of Meav will recognize this song from her "Silver Sea" album. Deirdre sings this lament, accompanied by the piano, and she puts great emotion into it. No offense to Meav or to Anuna, but this version is my favorite.

"Siobhan Ni Dhuibhir"

I have only heard Clannad cover this song on their debut 1973 album. Deirdre sings this in Gaelic, accompanied by a strumming guitar and background strings. It does have an odd feel to it, a Gaelic song being accompanied by a small orchestra. It isn't a bad song, but it is not one of my personal favorites.

"Down by the Sally Gardens"

This song has been covered by so many Irish artists that after a while most versions tend to sound alike. This is not the case with Deirdre's cover. Much like Orla Fallon's version, Deirdre sings this with the piano and background orchestra, but she makes the song sound very atmospheric and beautiful without sounding busy or overdone.

"Lass of Glenshee"

The only version of this song I am familiar with is the one that Anuna did with former Celtic Woman Meav. Deirdre sings this romantic song, accompanied by a guitar. I prefer this version more than Anuna's because Deirdre actually sings loud enough to be heard.

"Crucan Na Bpaiste"

I have never heard this song before, but it is based off of a poem that Brendan Graham (writer of "You Raise Me Up" and "The Voice", both made popular by CW) wrote. The Gaelic song is a mother's lament for her dead child. Deirdre sings this with such tender emotion that is heart-wrenching when you hear her. This one of my favorite songs from the album.

"Song for Ireland"

Deirdre ends the album with a tender reflection on her home country of Ireland. It is pretty though not one of my favorites.

Compared to Deirdre's first album, I like this one much better. Firstly, because Deirdre stays much closer to her Irish- Celtic roots. Every single song on this album is Irish or Scottish, and I enjoyed how she picked more remote songs, not sticking to the popular ones that people associate with Irish music. Secondly, Deirdre's first album came across to me as being more pop. This album feels more like a contemporary take on Celtic music; even though some aspects remind one of pop, everything still feels distinctly Irish. If I have a complaint about the album, it's that some of the songs sound alike after a while. On her debut album, Deirdre had the upbeat "I Know My Love" and "Gathering Mushrooms," but this album only has "John O'Dreams." I would have liked more upbeat songs to offset the more subdued, quiet pieces.

Otherwise, "Anamceol" is a beautiful album. Instead of going on a pop route to entice American fans, Deirdre remains true to her Irish roots. Out of all of Celtic Woman's members over the past several years, her voice has not changed or gone sour, and she has continued singing truly Irish music. If you are looking for a beautiful Celtic album with emotion and power without it sounding sappy or overdone, this is the album for you.

I give it four out of five stars.

Movie Review: The King's Speech

2011-11-10T20:04:00.003-05:00

Given my fondness for movies about British royalty, I recently watched "The King's Speech" with Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

"The King's Speech" is set in the 1930's England and tells the story of George the Sixth, also known as "Bertie." Bertie is the son of King George the Fifth and brother of the future King Edward, and he has speech problems, which lead to teasing within his own family. Bertie gives up hope of ever being able to talk normally, but his devoted wife Elizabeth seeks the help of Lionel Logue, an unorthodox Australian therapist, to work with her husband. As time goes on, Bertie develops a friendship with Logue, but he becomes terrified at the prospect of him becoming king with his father's death and his brother's abdication.

The story itself flows smoothly and, from what I have read, looks pretty historically accurate. The plot is interesting and keeps you engaged as it moves from different events throughout the 1930's, from a failed speech to Edward and Wallis Simpson's affair to Bertie's first big speech. The plot itself sounds like a typical inspirational story that is more fluff than anything else. What truly sets this apart is the witty dialogue and the characters.

The characters were well-written, and the actors did an excellent job portraying them. Colin Firth played Bertie, and he truly showed off Bertie's quick temper, his devotion to his family and his country, and his own fears regarding the possibility of him ruling; he also does a convincing job as a stammerer. Helena Bonham Carter, unlike her usual eccentric movie roles, plays Bertie's wife Elizabeth and pulls off the elegant, polite character well. Geoffrey Rush plays the witty Lionel Logue and does this very well; his character is quite memorable and likable. There are various other characters throughout the movie, but they all add to the story.

The costumes and sets looked realistic, and the movie itself felt like it was indeed set in the 1930's of England.

The movie is rated R, but it only has that rating because during a therapy session, Bertie starts yelling profanities, as he discovers he never stammers when he swears. This scene is not very long and is largely played for humor, but the great amounts of language in the short scene give it its R-rating.

I truly enjoyed watching "The King's Speech." It truly was an enjoyable and interesting movie.

I give it 4 and 1/2 stars out of five.

Movie Review: Thor

2011-09-29T20:41:00.003-04:00

Tonight, I saw the movie "Thor" for the first time.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

"Thor" is one of the Marvel Comic movie adaptations, set in the same universe as other superheroes such as Iron Man, the Hulk, and Captain America. Thor is the son of Odin and is slated to be the next king of Asgard. However, he is arrogant and reckless, wanting to kill the Frost Giants because of an ancient war with them. For his behavior, Odin banishes his son to earth until he can learn some humility. While on earth, Thor hooks up with a scientist named Jane and her colleagues. Meanwhile, Thor's brother Loki is scheming behind the scenes, wanting the throne of Asgard for himself.

The movie moved along at a fast pace; my brother noted that it seemed much shorter than one hour and forty-eight minutes long, which I agree with. There is plenty of cool action and fighting scenes. The plot itself is rather simple and easy to follow, and it ties up pretty well at the end.

My one problem with the movie was the huge amount of cliche material that was used. You have Loki, who turns out not to be Odin's son but a Frost Giant. There are several deaths or near-death scenes that all (except for one) end in the character being resurrected or turning out alive in the end. Then you have the arrogant person of higher blood who is banished and learns humility while in exile, and he changes into a completely different person by the end of the story. Then there is the romance between Thor and Jane, which is totally cliched and, for me, didn't really click.

One thing that helps redeem the movie from its many cliched aspects was its humor. I have to say that this is probably the funniest out of the whole "Avenger" adaptations. Part of this came from the whole different cultural interactions between Thor and those on earth. Thor is big and tough, and he doesn't understand that tasers can knock him down flat. And he believes that throwing coffee cups on the floor means a compliment, not breaking dishes.

The characters were pretty good. Chris Hemsworth (whom I've only seen in the beginning of Abrams' "Star Trek") was an excellent Thor. I liked Anthony Hopkins as the wise, old Odin, and Tom Hiddleston was a good as the villainous Loki. Natalie Portman as Jane was only ok, and her character wasn't as unique as the others.

The movie was enjoyable. It ultimately wasn't excellent or high up there, but it was a good popcorn movie.

I give it four out of five stars.

CD Review: Music Inspired by Middle Earth

2011-09-21T15:56:00.003-04:00

I'm a big "Lord of the Rings" fan. I adore the books but dislike the movies more every time I watch them. This particular CD by David and Diane Arkenstone (or the Elbereth Orchestra or Middle Earth Orchestra... yeah, too many names, depending on which site you listen to it on) showed up on rhapsody for me a few months back due to a "best of" album which featured the song "Arwen and Aragon." I wasn't a big fan of the album at first, but listening to the entire thing via youtube changed my mind. And so, in honor of the 74th birthday of Tolkien's book "The Hobbit"....

"Prelude/ Hobbits of the Shire"

The CD opens up with a dark song that reminds me of a marching army, but this eventually becomes a happy, folksy tune, which likely is like a theme for hobbits.

"The Road to Rivendell"

This song is happy and bouncy, sounding like several friends going for a long, fun tramp inn the woods. Even though I think this piece is a little bit light compared to the book's dark portrayal of the journey, it's very catchy and could fit with the hobbits going around the Shire before the ringwraiths started chasing them

"The Quest"

This piece has a majestic feel to it, with the flutes serving as the hobbits' theme. This makes me think of the Fellowship first starting out and the first part of their journey, before it becomes much darker.

"Moria"

This is a very dark and shadowy piece. Unlike Howard Shore's version, Arkenstone creates an atmosphere that makes you shiver when you think of how Tolkien wrote about the darkness of the abandoned mine of Moria; Diane Arkenstone's vocals definitely add to the creepiness of the song. There is a brief part of the song where there is a sound that reminds me of glittering, that I guess may refer to the mithril that is mined there. This is one of my favorite songs on the album.

"Lothlorien"

This is a tender and pretty song, I think capturing Tolkien's Lothlorien much better than Howard Shore did.

"Galadriel's Mirror"

This is a beautiful piece. It focuses on Diane's ethereal vocals, and a stringed instrument at times serves as a hobbit's theme. It comes across as a little too pretty for the mirror scene in the book, but it's still a lovely piece of music. This is another one of my favorites from the album.

"The Riders of Rohan"

This song is majestic and bouncy. When I listen to it, I can see a group of proud riders riding across the plains of Rohan, bouncing in their seats and the wind in their hair. This is yet another highlight of the album.

"The Palantir"

This song is a little more electronic than the rest of the album, which captures the atmosphere well. It is mysterious sounding, and the electronics make me think of the spinning palantir.

"Arwen and Aragorn"

This song is what first introduced me to the rest of the album, and it is absolutely gorgeous. It is a graceful romantic piece, and I always think of a loving couple being together. There is a bit in the middle of the song that sounds like a hobbit theme and thus almost doesn't fit, but it works. This is my absolute favorite off of the album.

"To Isengard"

This is a majestic-sounding piece that makes me think of a marching army. The hobbits have their own theme at one point, as evidenced by a stringed instrument and the harp, but it quickly returns to the previous marching theme. It's not one of my personal favorites from the album.

"In the Land of Shadow"

If you thought Moria was creepy, then this song about Mordor is even creepier. The atmosphere is dark and makes me think of a post-apocalyptic landscape, where the hobbits trudge onwards against all odds. There is a brief marching section in the middle of the piece, which I think could refer to when Sam and Frodo are accidentally impressed into the orc army. This is another favorite of mine from the album.

"The Field of Cormallen"

After the darkness of Mordor, you get a triumphant, majestic theme to celebrate the triumph of the fellowship over the Dark Lord.

"The Gray Havens"

This is an ethereal piece which captures the atmosphere of the Gray Havens and Frodo and the elves sailing away. It's a very nice conclusion to the entire album.

This album is vastly different from the music that Howard Shore composed and, in some areas, I think captures the atmosphere and mood of the books much better. In other areas, I think the music is a little too light-hearted for the books. Even though David Arkenstone is known for his electronic New Age style, he does very well in his interpretation of Tolkien's Middle Earth. Even if you're not a Lord of the Rings fan, the music is lovely on its own grounds. I highly recommend it, as it is one of the few albums where I enjoy the entire thing.

I give this four and a half stars out of five.

Show Review: Celtic Woman "Believe"

2011-09-06T23:28:00.002-04:00

Tonight I went with some friends to go see Celtic Woman's DVD recording "Believe" in Atlanta in the Fox Theater. This is the first time I have been to an actual recording, and so it was definitely different from a normal concert. I do have to say that the balcony seats my friend and I had were excellent, the closest I've ever been to the stage for the cheapest price; we had a very clear view of the entire stage, except for the heads in front of me. The theater looked pretty full, but I didn't see the ground floor at all, so I don't know how full it was.

I guess each recording has its own glitches, but tonight it was the microphones. The PBS representative was supposed to talk into a mic, but it didn't work so everyone was running around trying to fix the problem. Throughout the night, the sound guy (who told us when to clap and such) had mic problems as well. During a couple of songs, for a brief second it sounded like there was a male talking into a mic, even though there was no one on stage doing it. It was odd, but it was a glitch that I doubt will be shown on the final DVD.

SPOIlERS AHEAD: IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED BEFORE DECEMBER'S PBS PLEDGE DRIVES, DON'T READ ANY FURTHER.

Song #1- the show started off with the usual Mairead solo and then led into the three singers Lisa K, Lisa L, and Chloe singing. I didn't recognize this song, but it sounded like a mixture of "The Call" and "Sky, Dawn, and Sun" and was about waking either the night or the heavens.

Song #2- the second song was a Lisa K solo (which is typical, it seems). I don't know the name of it, but the only line I recall from it is "you are the only one." Lisa used a hand microphone while she sang it. This one reminded me of "Fields of Gold."

Song #3- the third song was a Mairead solo. I don't know the name of this one either, but given past shows, I'm guessing it is a David Downes- Mairead creation. This one sounds eerily like "The Butterfly," except Mairead did some Hendrix screeching during it. Mairead didn't look like she was on fire like she has been before, but at the end of the song her bow was shredded.

Song #4- the fourth song was a Chloe song with Mairead accompanying on the violin. It was soft and pretty, and the word "nocturne" was repeated several times throughout.

Song #5- the fifth song was all four girls but centered predominantly on Lisa K. Bagpipes played a large part in the song, and I was less than twenty feet away from the lead piper who was in the balcony. The problem with the pipes is that they played along with the girls and, as a result, were nearly drowned out because of the voices. The song was very short and dealt with sailing on the sea.

"Bridge over Troubled Water"- I am not familiar with the original version of the song, but CW's interpretation was nothing memorable to me. The Gwinnett Young Singers, a local kids' choir, joined in and sat on the stairs in the center of the stage, surrounding the girls. This one got standing ovation.

"Black Is the Color"- I was not familiar with this song until wikipedia informed me it is largely an American folk tune. This one was sung by Lisa L; this is the first time I have heard her perform, but I was not that impressed with her voice. To me, Lisa Lambe sounds like a combination of Lisa K and Chloe, which made it difficult for me to tell the girls apart when they sang. Lisa L moves around a lot on the stage, much like Mairead dances, and it was a bit distracting.

"Give Me Your Hand"- I first heard this song on the "Songs from the Heart" tour last year, but this is the second half of the "Songs from the Heart" medley in the second act. I loved the pipes on this one. It was good, but I missed Alex and Lynn being a part of it.

"Tears in Heaven"- I believe this was an Eric Clapton cover; even though I know Clapton a bit, I was not familiar with this one. Chloe sang this, and it reminded me of her version of "The Prayer" that she sang at Slane. It was not a memorable piece.

It was interesting in that during this song, I noticed some people getting up and walking out. I'm not sure if they returned a different way, but it made me wonder if some fans were not happy with some of the songs.

"My Heart Was Home Again"- I also first heard this on the "Songs from the Heart" tour when former member Alex Sharpe sang it. Alex's version, to me, was so powerful and emotional, and it was her signature song. However, the duet between the two Lisas just did not work for me. Out of loyalty to Alex, I didn't clap at this one.

"I Dreamed a Dream/ Circle of Life"- This one was a medley of stuff from the musicals "Les Miserables" and "The Lion King." Lisa K focused more on the first half with Lisa L on the second half. The drums reminded me of "Mo Ghile Mear," and David Downes played a whistle during the song. I didn't like the Lion King song, and I thought it really didn't fit with the entire scheme of things.

Between this one and the next song, there was a five minute interlude. The sound guy gave us instructions on clapping and stuff about gas prices. I thought it was a poor attempt to keep the audience entertained while the girls changed.

"Teidhir Abhaile Riu"- don't be deceived; this is NOT the original traditional Irish song. Much like "Nil Se'n La," it was part of the original Gaelic chorus added to a song that had little relation to the original. This one was the "Nil Se'n La" replacement, with all the girls coming out barefoot and wearing what looked like green bathrobes (I kid you not; one of the chaperones agreed with me about the dresses for this one). Nonetheless, it was a fun, upbeat song. They had a male Irish tap dancer on stage (I have no idea who he was, but he seemed to know Mairead very well, given their interactions). There was the sense of "At the Ceili" with the girls doing a bit of acting, and there was dancing, including a neat spinning scene. It was entertaining and one of the highlights of the evening.

Then we had an intermission. It was supposedly fifteen minutes, but I think it was closer to twenty because they kept delaying returning to the show. While they set up, the audience sang "happy birthday" to Ray the drummer, as today is his birthday. Finally, Lisa K and Chloe came out and taught the audience how to sing "Green Grow the Rushes O"; I wonder how much of their interaction was scripted or if it really was unplanned.

"A Woman's Heart"- this song has been sung by Mary Black and by Eleanor Mcevoy, but I had never heard it before. It was sung by the two Lisas and Chloe. The lights were very bright during this one, and it made it hard to look at the stage.

"The Water Is Wide"- I'm sorry, Lisa K and Mairead, but Orla Fallon and even Chloe as a soloist were far better. This song was too loud and lacked the power that Orla put into it on her first solo album. The bagpipes were predominant and loud on this one. Nonetheless, it got a standing ovation from the audience.

"Green Grow the Rushes O"- the audience was urged to sing along with the three girls. It wasn't a very memorable piece.

"You'll Never Walk Alone"- all four girls performed this one with the kids' choir. The drums were rather loud on this one, but it came across as being sentimental.

"Smile"- I'm not familiar with the original, but this one was sung acapella by the girls, with Mairead accompanying them. It was a rather bland and homogeneous arrangement, and it made me miss CW's earlier days when everyone sounded different. It wasn't very memorable.

"Walking the Night"- this is the first half of the "Songs from the Heart" medley popular on the recent tours. It was ok, but Alex and Lynn sang it far better, in my opinion. Lisa L acted very dramatic on stage, but it came across as silly and not fitting the song.

"A Spaceman Came Traveling"- I was hoping this song would not be performed, but it was anyway. It's a catchy tune, but being a Christian, I found the song offensive for its portrayal of angels being aliens. Lisa L spun around the stage like crazy, but it came across as a poor imitation of Mairead.

"Ave Maria"- Chloe and the kids' choir sang this new arrangement of the Catholic hymn along with the orchestra. I prefer the original version that Chloe and Orla did back in 2004.

"Women of Ireland"- this was Mairead's replacement for "Ashoken Farewell/ The Contradiction." It started off slow and then picked up the pace at the end. To my disappointment, the drummers did not come down to perform with Mairead; instead, the Irish dancer came back on to dance with her. The crowd enjoyed the dancer, and they got all excited when they saw the wood being laid down for him before the song began.

"The Parting Glass"- this was the last song of the night. It started off acapella but then the other instruments joined in. This song was extremely loud, and I had a headache and sore ears by this point. The bagpipes nearly drowned out the girls' singing. Some confetti was shot out on the stage towards the end of the piece, and I pity those who have to clean it up tonight.

Then, everyone cheered, and the performers bowed and left the stage to the "At the Ceili Reprise". The ending felt rather abrupt, but perhaps that was because I'm so used to the "Mo Ghile Mear/ Finale" and "Spanish Lady" to finishing out the show.

As far as music, I was rather disappointed with the song choices. Most of the songs dealt with sadness or some kind of depression, and very few of them were upbeat. They sang Celtic songs, but they did not have any Celtic flavor to them, coming across more like pop and not traditional. And several of the songs sounded familiar in that they were mere replacements for previous show songs or that, in the case of Mairead's pieces, they sounded exactly like what's she been playing for the past seven years.

The costumes were nothing special either. The dresses struck me as looking like different versions of those from "Songs from the Heart" DVD. Neither of the dresses looked particularly good on Chloe, and I think the designer needs to pay attention to the fact that she's bigger than the other girls and that she should dress differently from them.

I was concerned about the extra eye candy that was rumored to be in the show, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The tap dancer wasn't distracting; he did add something interesting to the show, but I still think that he was a bit unnecessary. The kids' choir was ok, but it seemed that they were there to convince people that CW loves kids. The confetti at the end was a bit much, and I think the fog machine let out a bit too much fog at times. The lights, however, were very bright at times, and I was left worrying that I'd get a migraine from them.

As for voices, I honestly don't know if what I heard was live or not. At times it seemed live, but most of the time I didn't know. I'm reserving judgment until I see the final DVD result. But, given Lisa L's constant spinning, it wouldn't surprise me if she was lip-synching.

A big problem I had with the show was the treatment of the girls. Lisa L seemed like a third wheel, only added as an extra vocalist; Lisa K and Chloe were on the stage far more frequently than Lisa L. Mairead also seemed like another third wheel, only showing up in a few songs. Lisa K once again was shown off as the predominant, leading singer, which seems to have been the case for the past few years, but it was done at the expense of Lisa L and Mairead. It reminds me of "Songs from the Heart," where the original three girls were promoted while Lynn and Alex were treated more like background singers. I'm not sure what songs will end up on the final CD, but I hope it's not going to be a repeat of the last show.

I was really excited about "Believe," but I was left feeling rather underwhelmed. It seemed more like a pop repeat of "Songs from the Heart." To me, this show was even worse than "Songs from the Heart." I may change my opinion about it, but I was not very fond of what I saw. It seems, to me, that CW is only continuing to decline as a show, and I'm losing confidence in their ability to entertain.

Movie Review: Unknown

2011-08-29T12:12:00.002-04:00

Recently, I watched the film "Unknown" starring Liam Neeson and Diane Kruger.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

"Unknown" is an action-thriller-drama movie set in Berlin, Germany. Dr. Martin Harris and his wife arrive in Berlin for an important science conference; however, on the day of their arrival, Harris forgets a bag at the airport and tries to retrieve it, only to end up in a car accident. He wakes up four days later with amnesia and then remembers the conference and his name. However, when Harris returns to the hotel where he and his wife were staying, his wife does not know him and another man has assumed his identity. People start trying to chase Harris, and he turns to the cab driver Gina, who caused the car accident, and a German PI named Jurgen for help.

The plot seemed straightforward and interesting, but it became twisted and did not flow smoothly. As I watched it, it seemed as if the writers couldn't quite make up their mind as to the ending would be; this made the build-up confusing and the revelation looking as if it had suddenly been added with nothing to lead up to it. I still don't fully understand the assassination scheme and the whole thing about genetically modified corn. Also, the ending of the film felt like the ending of a Bourne movie, though it was not as well-done and did not fit in well with the rest of the movie.

The characters were all right though nothing memorable. At first, I sympathized with Harris when I wondered what was going on to him; however, by the end of the movie, he was nothing special. Harris remembering his true identity reminded me of Jason Bourne, but he was far less sympathetic than Bourne; Bourne's change of heart in the first film made sense, but Harris' did not. Neeson and Kruger had no chemistry together, and they did not work together well.

Maybe it was because of the meandering plot, but there was quite a bit of action in the movie though not as cool as other action films. I did have a problem with the shower sex scene and the meaningless off-screen sex in Gina's apartment; neither fit into the movie, and they seemed more like they were thrown in for no good reason whatsoever.

The movie looked like a popcorn film, but I was disappointed. It came across as meandering and then like a Jason Bourne wannabee that miserably failed. It was not a very memorable movie, and I'm not likely to watch it again.

I give it two stars out of five.

Movie Review: Rise of the Planet of the Apes

2011-08-12T21:45:00.003-04:00

This evening, I made my first trip to the movie theater in several months to see "Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

For those who are familiar with the original series that started back in 1968, the current movie is the first one of a reboot and does not deal with the original story.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

"Rise of Planet of the Apes" is a new origin story for the "Planet of the Apes" mythology. James Franco plays Will Rodman, a scientist who is trying to find a cure for Alzheimer's Disease, emotionally inspired by his own father who suffers from the disease. After Will's cure seems to fail when an intelligent chimpanzee Bright Eyes becomes violent, he and his assistant Franklin discover she has a baby. Not wanting to kill it, Will takes the baby home, where his father names it "Caesar." Because of the drugs given to his mother, Caesar becomes a highly intelligent chimpanzee. When Will's father's dementia returns, Will makes a new but more aggressive form of the virus, but he and his company do not test it on humans, preferring to continue the testing with chimps. After an incident involving Will's father, Caesar is sent to a primate house, where he is abused by the workers and is disgusted with the other unruly chimps. Caesar soon becomes the domineering chimp and begins instructing the other orangutans and gorillas, and things become more interesting when he manages to get a hold of the intelligence virus and give it to his companions.

The plot was easy to understand, coherent, and interesting. My one complaint is that it seemed a little slow, as the real action didn't begin until later in the movie. Part of that is that this movie is an origin story, which means that it's a mere introduction to what will happen later. Which means that if there is at least another movie in the works, then that one will likely deal with more actual conflicts between apes and humans and not the build-up.

The characters were divided into the human and the animal. The human ones were generally nothing memorable, but neither were they ones you disliked or hated, except for the greedy cooperation owners and the people who run the primate house. The apes were definitely meant to be sympathetic as they suffer from abuse at the hands of humans, and they all had their different personalities, like the young male who challenges Caesar, the ferocious gorilla Buck, or the orangutan who befriends Caesar.

The special effects for the movie were cool, especially in regards to the CGI apes. Andy Serkis did an excellent job doing Caesar's role, and the apes looked much better than in the 60's and 70's versions where people were just dressed up in makeup for the roles.

I wasn't really sure what to expect from this movie, but I ended up thoroughly enjoyed it. It was an entertaining drama-action film, and I believe worthy of being continued. If a sequel is ever produced of similar quality, you will find me at the movie theater when it arrives.

I give this film four out of five stars.

Miniseries Review: John Adams

2011-07-28T16:37:00.005-04:00

If you haven't noticed by now, I'm something of a history geek. So when a movie or TV series based on historical events comes out, I like watching it. There's nothing that pleases me more than a historically accurate telling of real events. Recently, I watched the TV miniseries "John Adams," based on the life of America's second president.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

The TV miniseries is in seven parts and begins with John Adams as a farmer and lawyer in Boston, Massachusetts. He is called upon to defend the British soldiers accused of starting the Boston Massacre, much to the chagrin of his hot-headed cousin Samuel Adams. Adams is reluctantly dragged into joining the Continental Congress, but his hot-headed nature tends to alienate him. He is then sent away to France to ask the king for aiding the Americans, which causes him to butt heads with Ben Franklin and which causes tension at home as he misses his wife and children. Eventually he is reunited with his wife and with his friend Thomas Jefferson in France and visits Paris and England. Washington is elected the first president, and political struggles immediately begin, especially between Jefferson and Hamilton. Adams is elected the second president and is also beset with political tensions between Britain and France due to the French Revolution. After he fails to win another election, he retires on his family farm, where he suffers grave losses within his own family as he grows older and outlives most of them.

The show's writers did a good job of capturing the highlights of Adam's life between 1774 and his death. It moved at a good pace, and there was never a dull moment, even if Adams was reading a newspaper criticizing some political event or person; part of this was because of the characters, but I'll get to that later. I really enjoyed the look at power politics, such as the struggles between Jefferson and Hamilton, and it was a reminder that American politics were divided from the very beginning. The writers also did good in making certain scenes emotional, particularly in the last episode which has several deaths in it though other notable scenes are: Adams watching hot-headed Patriots tar a tax collector and Adams and his wife being reunited in France after several years apart.

The characters were very memorable, and the actors and actresses were chosen well. Paul Giamatti made a very good John Adams, capturing his sarcasm and his short-temper in a way that makes him flawed but likable. Laura Linney was a good Abigail Adams, and her character matured as she started off as an unsure young woman who did not like her husband being away so often, but she transformed into a strong shoulder for Adams. Tom Wilkinson, David Morse, and Stephen Dillane were also good in their roles as Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson, capturing what made these historical men unique. These characters kept the plot going, and they had good chemistry with one another, making the miniseries seem even more real.

The costumes, makeup, and scenery was also well-done. Everything looked accurate, and I felt as if I had been transported back to late colonial times. The makeup was especially excellent, especially as you watched the characters grow old, as their hair grows whiter and more wrinkles appear on their face. I was quite amazed at how they managed to make Giamatti look ninety years old.

All in all, the miniseries was excellent. I did not know much about John Adams and what he had done, but this gave me a good look into America's War for Independence and more into what went on behind the scenes, like in the Continental Congress. If you are an American history buff or someone in search of an accurate historical story, this is definitely the miniseries for you. Case in point: we got my sister, who's not very interested in history (and calls us history people geeks frequently), to watch the show, and she thoroughly enjoyed it.

I give it five out five stars.

Movie Review: Clash of the Titans

2011-06-28T22:30:00.000-04:00

This evening, I watched "Clash of the Titans" with the family.

If you're like me, you've seen the original version released in 1981 which dealt with Perseus, the half-god and half-mortal, as he has adventures in saving his love Andromeda. It was also complete with Harryhausen graphics, which don't look very real but are nonetheless classic.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

The 2010 "Clash of the Titans" is about Perseus, the illegitimate son of the Greek god Zeus and Danae, a queen; he and his mother are sentenced to die in a coffin, but Perseus survives as a baby and is adopted by a fisherman and his wife. However, the world is restless as men are openly questioning and rebelling against the gods on Olympus, including Perseus and his adopted father. After his family is killed, Perseus ends up in Argos, where his demigod nature is revealed, and he is called upon to save the princess Andromeda from the Kraken, a creature created by Hades to destroy the Titans. As Perseus and his group journey to find a way to kill the Kraken, they battle beasts like Medusa, the three witches, giant scorpions, and others, and Perseus continually resists his demigod nature and refuses to act like a god.

The plot was rather strange and did not smoothly flow together. It seemed to take aspects of the original movie as well as parts of Disney's 1996 "Hercules." Basically, you have the gods trying to get humans to love them, as human prayers power them; then there is Hades who is scheming to get Zeus out of the picture so he can be king of the gods; then there is Perseus resisting his demigod nature and hating the gods, refusing to use their many gifts; then there is the chaos in Argos as religious fanatics scream about doomsday and disobeying the gods, wanting to sacrifice Andromeda, who is willing to die to save others but whose father thinks otherwise. It all may tie in for some semblance of a plot, but I found that it did not really exist or flow. The movie seemed to be more about the big action scenes and declarations of independence from the gods but little else.

Part of the problem, I found was the severe deviance from Greek mythology. Io, instead of being one of Zeus' human lovers who was disguised as a cow, became a mortal cursed with agelessness and a romantic interest for Perseus, which Andromeda originally was. The djinn, an Arabic mythological creature, were added as beings to aid Perseus, but their addition was rather bizarre and did not fit. Acrisius, the husband of Danae, becomes Calibos (in the original movie, he was a monstrous being cursed by Zeus for killing the god's flying horses), and it's his wife, not his daughter, who is impregnated by Zeus; the entire circumstances surrounding Perseus' birth were also not from the original legend (the 1981 version sticks true to what the legend says what happened). Compared to the 1981 version, Zeus and Hades were the only two gods to play a major part in the events, also deviating from the legend. Perhaps it's just me, but I prefer it when movies stick to the original mythology because continuity is better (though Disney's "Hercules" is an exception because it was watered down for young audiences, but it still worked).

The characters were nothing truly memorable or special. Sam Worthington plays the reluctant hero Perseus who hates his true origins, which is a typical stereotype in modern stories. There is the military man Draco who is meant to be likable because he lost his daughter and hates the gods because of it. Queen Cassiopea is meant to be unlikable and boastful, and there is no sympathy at all for her, and her husband barely does anything in the story. Andromeda is supposed to be a beautiful princess, but I found she wasn't anything special other than the stereotypical royal girl who loves her people and wants to save them, despite what her parents want.

My biggest problem with the movie is that it came across as being more of an anti-religious rant than anything else. Practically all of the characters hate the gods while the gods themselves are portrayed as selfish and unlikable. The entire movie was anti-religious to the point that that was its theme, and the movie was meant to drive that theme into your head. It was very annoying (not to mention offensive, because I am a Christian), and it made the movie difficult to watch and enjoy. I would have liked the movie a little better if the theme was not as predominant.

The special effects were neat, ranging from the giant scorpions to the three witches to the Kraken. However, they often reminded me of stuff from other movies, namely "Pan's Labyrinth" or "Hellboy" (both the first and the second), and I would have liked more originality in that area. Also, in my personal opinion, I liked Harryhausen's animation better, even though the recent stuff was neat.

The movie looked like it would be a cheesy guilty pleasure, but it didn't turn out to be one for me. It was an anti-religious rant with little plot and special effects galore. I think I'll just stick to the original movie for the Perseus and Andromeda legend.

I give it one and a half stars out of five.

Movie Review: Hereafter

2011-06-09T12:49:00.003-04:00

Last night, my mom and I watched Clint Eastwood's recent film "Hereafter."

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

"Hereafter" takes place in 2004 and 2005 and switches between three main characters. Matt Damon plays George, a psychic who can communicate with the dead but wants nothing more to do with his gift, which he calls a curse. The second character is Marie, a French reporter who has a near-death experience in the 2004 tsunami and decides to write a book about such experiences. The third character is Marcus, who loses his twin brother Jason and is placed in a foster home, where he tries to find a psychic who will enable him to talk to his dead brother. In the last twenty minutes of the film, these three characters finally collide in London, England.

The movie's plot was continually at a snail's pace, and I was constantly waiting for something to happen, but it never happened. There were a few exciting scenes like the tsunami or the train bombing in England, but they were rather out of place in the slow-moving plot. George doesn't do much except take an Italian cooking class and try to avoid giving people a reading, Marie spends her time thinking of her near-death experience and arguing with her publisher to get her controversial book published, and Marcus walks around in an emotionless daze, looking for a psychic or for some sign of his dead brother. And then, in the last twenty minutes, the plot becomes predictable when Marie ends up in London for a book fair and George is there on vacation, and the three characters finally interact, where Marcus finally accepts his brother's death and then George and Marie meet up to begin a romantic relationship. Other than that, there was no real goal for the plot, and it merely trudged along.

The characters were rather dull, and their experiences did not help the already-slow plot. Matt Damon is a talented actor, as seen in his roles in "Good Will Hunting" or the Bourne trilogy, but this was role was a waste of his talent; he spent most of the film complaining about his psychic abilities, and I felt little sympathy for his character. Marie was also a very dry, uninteresting character, and I could have cared less if her boyfriend cheated on her or if she lost her job because of her book. Marcus was also uninteresting, and I found it difficult to sympathize with him as he struggled to deal with the grief of his brother's death. The only character who had a semblance of life was Bryce Dallas Howard as Melanie, who George meets in his class, but she disappeared early on from the story and was not brought up again. Interesting characters can often save a dull story, but the ones in this film only added to its trudging nature.

There was ultimately nothing interesting or memorable about "Hereafter." I spent the entire film feeling bored and wondering when it would be over. The three stories did not interact or mix very well, and the characters were boring and forgettable. The concept was interesting, but it was not well-done; it needed a lot more work if it was to be a memorable, dramatic story about death.

I give it one star out of five.

Fringe- Redeemed Season 3?

2011-05-16T11:41:00.002-04:00

Fox's television show "Fringe" had its season finale a little over a week ago. A few posts back, I went on a little rant on how I was disappointed with the way the show was going. However, curious to see if "Fringe" would redeem itself by the end of the season, I continued to watch it, even though I skipped over a few of the episodes. With the season finale, I am disappointed to say that "Fringe" season 3 was not redeemed in my eyes.

Disclaimer: The following views are not fully mine, as other "Fringe" fans have also voiced their own opinions, which I happen to agree with; so I am restating what other fans have said.

Comparing "Fringe" season 3 to its previous seasons, season 3 has fallen extremely short of what it used to be. One of these is in the plots and how the story is becoming weak and poorly written. In seasons 1 and 2, the writing remained consistent, and it was clear that the writers were making their way towards something cohesive and towards a larger picture. In season 3, this was not the case. Even though the machine seemed to be the underlying theme of the entire season, there were other side plots that seemed important and then were dropped and never resolved. For example, as a fan pointed out, Walternate's attempt to figure out how Olivia could cross between universes was never explained; another one would be Bolivia's rapid pregnancy, for which a reason was never given, and I would think there would be easier ways for Walternate and his minions to get Peter's DNA. Peter's vigilante activities against the shapeshifters were never explained, his more aggressive behavior, and the whole affair were quickly dropped after only one episode and never brought back.

Not only that, but looking back over the rest of the season, it became clear to me that the writers were not working with a unified plot anymore. An example is the First People. When the First People were first introduced in the episode "6955 kHz," they seemed like an interesting addition, as they had a different calender, invented the vacuum, and other things. However, by the season 3 finale, this perception changed with the rather weird statement that the First People were actually future Walter, Peter, Olivia, Ella, etc... Everything about that scenario completely contradicted the original information, and it almost looks like the writers had one idea in place and then abruptly changed their minds at the season's finale. This lack of a unified plot only led to further problems and story arcs that looked as if they were just thrown in for fun. I have no idea what the whole Belliva arc was about, as fans speculated that perhaps there was something more to Bell's motives, but in the end the storyline didn't make sense and added nothing to the season. This is very sloppy writing and is not at all what I expected from the writers from previous seasons.

Another problem this season was the pacing. The season started off strong, but as it went along, it felt like it was dragging its feet and not going anywhere. The whole Olivia/ Bolivia switch lasted too long and should have only been for a few episodes. After that arc was resolved, the middle of the season went limp. The episodes at that point became boring and added nothing to the overall plot, and the cases were nothing interesting, compared to those from seasons 1 and 2. Beginning with "6:02 AM," the build-up to the finale took way too long and seemed pointless. I felt as if the events of those three episodes could have been resolved in one episode and that the writers were just dragging out the plot. Not only that, but the entire finale buildup was disappointing; after a season finale, I generally get all excited in looking forward to the next season, but this time I did not feel that way.

Another problem this season was the characters. Because I am re-watching "Fringe" and am working on season 2 at the moment, I was struck by the difference in the characters between seasons 1 and 2 and then season 3. Olivia used to be a strong character, but this season she felt limp and not very interesting. Peter lost his cynic, humorous touch, and I lost respect for him when he did not recognize Bolivia's infiltration. Walter had a few memorable moments, but he was not as funny as he has been in the past. None of the other characters were memorable or deep either.

Given the poor quality of season 3 and how the writing is getting sour, I do not have high hopes for season 4. If Abrams took the reins of the show again, I could see some redemption, but currently I'm only expecting further decline. It is a great shame because "Fringe" started off as something that had great promise and that would not end up turning into "Lost," but now it looks like the original touch has been lost, most likely permanently. I may watch season 4 to see if the show is redeemed, but in the meantime I shall focus on seasons 1 and 2 for my dose of "Fringe."

Movie Review: The Young Victoria

2011-03-31T14:02:00.002-04:00

Admittedly, I am a history geek, and, for reasons unknown, I have a thing for the English monarchy. So, when I heard that there was a movie in the works about Queen Victoria, I was interested.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

"The Young Victoria" begins about a year or so before Victoria will ascend to the throne of England. Victoria, the their to the throne, hates her restrictive life that is tightly controlled by Sir John Conroy and her submissive mother the Duchess of Kent, as she makes few public appearances and is treated like a child. Her uncle King William IV fears that if he dies before Victoria's 18th birthday then her mother and Conroy will control the throne. Meanwhile, Victoria's uncle Leopold, who is king of Belgium, wants to manipulate his niece and decides to do so through Victoria's young cousin Albert. Albert woos Victoria at his uncle's command, but he finds himself falling for her. Victoria becomes queen of England and rejects her mother and Conroy's influence, choosing to take her advice from the charming Lord Melbourne. However, this will make Victoria's reign difficult as she finds herself the target of assassination attempts and the hatred of the parliament and the people.

The story of Victoria was well-told and, from what I've read, the movie is pretty accurate. I especially enjoyed the whole complexities of the court and the political games that several of the characters played. One thing I do have against the plot is that it followed history but did not have an underlying flow to it. In other words, the plot runs between the first few years of Victoria's reign, but it seemed as if there was no real resolution. In the end, Victoria lets Albert become her greatest influence, but there is little mention of how she managed to successfully deal with her early unpopularity and her doubts about ruling. I understand all of that can't be explained in a movie that only deals with a few aspects of Victoria's life, but it would have been nice if there was a better flow with the general plot and a satisfactory ending.

The characters were also well-done. I have only seen Emily Blunt in a few films, but she did an excellent performance as Victoria, capturing both the pride and determined nature of the princess/queen as well as her vulnerable and unsure moments. Rupert Friend did well as Albert, and I liked how he transformed from a willing political pawn to an independent man. The characters were written in such a way that you either truly dislike them (like the Duchess of Kent and Conroy) or like them (like William IV or even Melbourne), and all of them behaved in ways that were consistent for that time period.

I truly enjoyed the romance between Victoria and Albert. It was truly well-written, non-sappy, and Blunt and Friend had excellent chemistry between them. Their relationship was one where you would say "awwwwwww" when they marry and then when they are reconciled after their argument. It was sad, though, when at the end of the film they mention Albert's early death and how Victoria remained loyal to him until her own end.

Another good aspect of the film was how realistic it all was. The costumes were good, and the settings of the palaces and gardens were excellent. To me, they all captured the air of nineteenth century England with no sense of modernity in them, as is the tendency to happen in recent historical films.

I truly enjoyed watching "The Young Victoria." I enjoyed its historical accuracy and the realistic characters, which are hard to find nowadays. If you are into films based off of historical events, then this is the movie for you.

I give it four out five stars.

Thoughts on "Fringe"

2011-02-12T14:17:00.006-05:00

Ok, I want to get this off my chest. I've been a fan of "Fringe" the television show for over a year now, and after last night's episode I feel the need to talk a bit about it.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

I first discovered "Fringe" last year via my sister who had started watching it in the middle of the second season. The rest of the family got hooked on it, and we bought the first season and watched it through. Basically, this is the show's premise: an FBI agent named Olivia Dunham contacts Peter Bishop, who is a cynic largely wanting to do his own thing but has a mysterious past, in order to get his father Walter Bishop, who has been put into St. Claire's mental institution, because the quirky scientist knows how to save her boyfriend. However, it turns out that there is a much bigger threat to the world in the form of strange scientific experiments that are harming and killing people. And so Fringe division is born. The first season focused on following a group known as ZFT that is somehow connected to many of these strange cases, a drug called Cortexiphan that Olivia was treated with as a child, and mention of a parallel universe. The second season focuses more on the parallel universe, on Peter's mysterious childhood, and a bit more on Cortexiphan. The third and current season has introduced an arc focusing on interactions between the two universes and Peter's connection to a machine that can either create or destroy.

What I loved the most about "Fringe" was particularly the first season. I loved the characters and their interactions: Olivia's determination for justice, Peter's sarcastic cynicism, Walter's off-kilter behaviors, and Astrid's long-suffering attitude towards Walter. I enjoyed the plot and its various arcs, and altogether the show looked like it was destined for great things. The second season was also good, though to me it was not as good as the first. And now, I'm not very confident in this third season.

One of the reasons is the characters. Walter used to be genuinely funny, but this season John Noble's acting seems a little more forced and Walter's behavior is not as humorous as it used to be. Peter has lot his sarcastic, cynic touch, and this season he's proven to be fairly stupid with him not recognizing the truth about the Olivia/ Fauxlivia switch; it does not help either that the love triangle between Olivia, Peter, and Fauxlivia is still going on. I sympathize with Olivia because of the switch that was made, but her character seems weaker than it previously was. And poor Astrid seems to have been pushed into the background, barely appearing in the episodes anymore.

Another reason is the general plot itself. There were plenty of imaginative, interesting stories such as Peter's heritage from the Red Universe and the Cortexiphan experiments, and they made for good arcs. However, the ones for season 3 have turned a little odd, with Peter's connection to the machine and the whole Olivia- Faulivia switch and that entire mess. And, not to mention now the pregnancy story, which is unimaginative and will probably doom the show. Besides that, the cases that the Fringe team investigates are not as interesting as they used to be, and they have been replaced with more focus on the drama.

A last reason is the loose ends and inconsistencies within the whole frame of the story. Several story lines such as the man in "The Arrival" who was looking for the beacon, the empath child in "Inner Child", and who John Scott was really working for were never explained, and there has been no further mention of them; rumor has it that some aspects of season 1 will eventually be explained, but the long delay between introducing a plot line and then explaining it is a while to wait while you introduce new plot lines. Then there are some aspects of the plot that don't make sense at all, such as the recent episode "The Firefly", which seemed like a complete waste of an episode. Some of the inconsistencies are like how Olivia crossed over in season 1 finale and ended up inside her car in the season 2 premiere or how Walter talks about the car crash where he and Peter were nearly killed and how he changes the story depending on which season it is.

I used to love "Fringe", but I'm feeling underwhelmed by recent episodes. I hope it gets better or gets cancelled before it turns off too many fans.

John McGlynn- Songs for a Fallen Angel

2011-02-03T11:11:00.003-05:00

I first discovered indie Irish singer and guitarist John McGlynn through his involvement with my favorite choral group Anuna, where he played the guitar and often arranged certain pieces like "Siuil a Run" and sings, though admittedly half of the time I cannot tell if it's him or his twin brother Michael singing. Anyway, I further discovered his album when one of his songs was done for Anuna's "Celtic Origins" and when I learned that his song "Swimming in the Barrow" was covered by former Celtic Woman member Lynn Hilary. The album likewise made an appearance on my pandora station, and I ended up buying it from lala before it was shut down. The theme of the album deals with love and the fallout after a broken relationship.

"If All She Has Is You"

This sad song was featured on the CD and DVD for "Celtic Origins" though it was different. This version features some strings in the background, but it is not distracting. The lyrics are heart-tugging, and you can feel the pain in them.

"She Took My Hand"

This song is a more up-beat but still has a melancholy feel to it.

"I Know You Hear Me"

The beginning reminds me of Anuna's 2002 version of "Siuil a Run", but it quickly proves to be different. I like the lyrics for this one.

"What If.."

This reminds me a bit of "She Took My Hand". The lyrics are about the contemplating of the impending breakup.

"Fallen Angel"

This song is darker than the others. The lyrics deny the "magic" of love, but otherwise I'm not sure of the interpretation.

"Face the Wall"

This song is one of the more upbeat ones, but it has sad content. It is about a young couple who don't know how to react to their love, and so they end up drifting apart.

"In Your Eyes"

This is one of my favorites from the album. The lyrics are about being haunted by the departed lover who betrayed the other.

"If I Looked Any Better"

John offers his listeners a bit of a reprieve into his humor in this piece. According to an interview he did, this one is about the whole celebrity "life in the fast lane" during the few years when Anuna was involved with Riverdance. It's an upbeat song and quite memorable.

"Swimming in the Barrow"

Celtic Woman fans know that this song was covered by former member Lynn Hilary, but this one is the original. It is a lively song about John's childhood memories of the Barrow River in Ireland during the summer. This is also one of my favorites from the album.

"Justified"

After the happiness of the last two songs, the listener returns into the brokenness of the relationship. This one is very powerful in saying that the lover is justified to be away from the singer though he still loves her. Another one of my favorites.

"The Fisher King"

This song was featured on Anuna's album "Deep Dead Blue", but this is a different version. It's a gentle love song, and I like how it's just John's voice and the guitar without the addition of the background choral singers.

"Now and Forever"

The album ends with on an upbeat note about the end of the relationship despite the other having said she will love the singer "now and forever".

Despite the album largely being focused on one topic, it's very well-done. The songs all fit on the album. While they may sound similar, the pieces make up for it with their powerful emotion. I thoroughly enjoy listening to it, and I'm looking forward to John McGlynn's next album, which is rumored to be soon.

I give it four and a half out of five stars.

Dargaard: The Dissolution of Eternity

2011-01-10T11:36:00.002-05:00

Snow days are a wonderful thing; they mean you can stay home and find the time to write. And so, I will do another music review for another album that I discovered via pandora a few months ago and have been hooked on ever since.

The band is called Dargaard, and it hails from Austria. It is made up of only two members, Tharen and Elisabeth Toriser, who use a synthesizer for all the instruments. I have largely only heard this album "Dissolution of Eternity", and it has a very gothic, haunting sound, almost like something you would play on Halloween night or inside a large cathedral.

"As Old as the Bones of the Earth"

The song starts off dark and threatening with what almost sounds like the screech of a bird, and then the vocals and bells begin. It is a very haunting piece. It is a long song (about seven minutes), but it is good nonetheless, making me think of some deep, hidden underground cavern. It ends with the sound of the wind blowing.

"Thy Fleeing Time"

This song is faster than the first one, and it is sung by Elisabeth. It is very haunting, and this is one of the songs that first got me interested in Dargaard.

"A Path in the Dust"

This one has a more threatening, ominous tone though is not as memorable as the first two pieces.

"In the Omnipresence of Death"

This is another seven-minute long song. It has the feel of a requiem and is sung in Latin, and the bells add a nice touch. This is one of the more memorable pieces on the album.

"My Phantasm Supreme"

This song is louder than the other two, and Elisabeth's vocals are almost drowned out by the music. There is the sound effect of wind at times during the piece.

"Night before the Vastland Storms"

The harp plays a big part of this song. While it is less dark than some of the other songs, the bells and drums do give the impression of lightning and thunder being seen and heard from afar.

"Fire's Dominion"

The synthesizer gets a little high-pitched here, but it doesn't last two long. The sound effects of fire can be heard around the middle of the song.

"The Isolated Vale"

This is a gentle, quieter song sung by Elisabeth with a harp strumming in the background. It is a pretty piece.

"A Prophecy of Immortality"

This is a mournful piece with various sound effects like horses and shouting in it. When I hear it, I think of someone not looking forward to living forever on the earth.

"Wanderer at the End of Time"

This song starts off very high-pitched, which I'm not fond of, and I've yet to hear the entire piece because of it.

This album is a very haunting, dark piece. All the songs fit together perfectly, and the synthesizer does an excellent job of sounding like a full orchestra at times. The songs are arranged very well, and a good portion of them are memorable. I'm not much into darkwave or Gothic-sounding music, but I've made an exception for this album.

I give it four and a half out of five stars.

Movie Review: Tron Legacy

2011-01-04T12:09:00.002-05:00

My break has been busier than expected, hence the lack of music reviews. I will instead give a review of "Tron: Legacy", which I saw in theaters yesterday.

WARNING: SEVERAL SPOILERS AHEAD

"Tron: Legacy" begins in 1989, a few years after the events of the original "Tron". Kevin Flynn has become CEO of ENCOM and has a young son named Sam, whom he tells tales about his experiences on the grid. Suddenly, Flynn vanishes one day, leaving Sam alone. Fast-forward about twenty years to Sam (played by Garret Hedlund) who is the typical rebellious, slightly embittered son who is not willing to take over his father's empire and only plays pranks on ENCOM and tries to avoid the law. One night, Sam is told that a message was sent from Flynn's abandoned office, so he goes to the old arcade to investigate. While there, Sam is digitized like Flynn was years ago and ends up in pretty much the same situation: a program has gone rogue and is controlling the system strictly, and Sam can only stop it if he can get home through the portal before it closes. He meets up with his father, who has been sought after by the villain C.L.U., and Quorra (played by Olivia Wilde), a unique program who dreams of being human, and together the three make a hazardous journey to the portal.

I do not remember much of the original "Tron" except that the graphics were cool, despite being done in the early 80's. However, from what I do remember of it, it was completely different from this new version. While the special effects are cool, they look a little too realistic, not like the old graphics which reminded the audience that Flynn was in a different world. An entire city has been built to house the programs, most of which are idle and do not do anything beyond being entertained in some fashion or other; this makes for a completely different setup from the original, but it also means that there is great inconsistency between the two in terms of world-building.

The plot itself is rather skewed and full of holes. Sam arrives in the grid but ends up in a digitized version of his dad's arcade, so why does he have to travel all the way beyond the grid to get to the portal if that is his only way home? Flynn has been in the computer world for years (he states elsewhere in the film that minutes in our world mean hours in the digital world), so why did he age like a normal human being if the time is messed up? C.L.U is trying to dominate the world, but how does he have the inside influence to be able to get word to Sam? The plot itself is rather strange with a large rabbit trail of Sam trying to get help from Zuse (played by Michael Sheen), which ends in disaster when the program betrays him and results in a large club fight and then Sam, a wounded Quorra, and Flynn barely escaping to make their way towards the portal; it seemed like a rather useless situation, only put in there for the sake of being a cool fight scene. The side plot of Quorra's true identity was also weird, as was her desire to be human and experience things like sunrises. There was also a great amount of predictability to the plot, such as Tron's fate (he was supposedly killed by C.L.U years ago though Flynn never saw it happen), Flynn's death, and Sam deciding to become the CEO of ENCOM at last.

The characters were nothing special. Sam was the typical stereotyped son who got jilted by his father and so doesn't want to do his job but later changes his mind; he had a smart-alack personality, but it was nothing memorable. Flynn was odd in that he suddenly became Buddhist or Zen while inside the grid, and so now he sits around in silence "listening to sound". Quorra was not special either, and it was predictable that she and Sam would get together more or less at the end. C.L.U. was not a memorable villain, and his goal of taking over the human world was rather weird and did not make much sense.

The special effects were cool, but to me they were a little too modern and too realistic-looking. When I remember the original "Tron", I recall the graphics being pretty cool despite being done in the early 80's, but they helped to establish the strangeness of the world and reminded the audience it was different. Here, the special effects are a little too real and a little too sleek-looking; after all, Flynn was trapped in 1989, so why did the rest of the world look like the digital world would? Still, the graphics were neat.

A redeeming point in the movie is the soundtrack, done by French electronic band Daft Punk. The soundtrack is excellent, at times sounding like Vangelis, Hans Zimmer, or John Powell and then at other times turning into catchy techno music. It was truly well-done, and I have been enjoying listening to it on rhapsody.

In conclusion, "Tron Legacy" was only an ok movie. The plot was filled with holes and did not make much sense, though the effects were cool and the soundtrack amazing.

I give it 2 and 1/2 stars out of five.

"Silver Swan" by Qntal

2010-12-17T12:11:00.012-05:00

And now to give a music review for something that is not Celtic.

I first discovered Qntal via pandora when the first track of this particular album showed up. I listened to it once in lala (before Apple shut it down), and now I have the pleasure of listening to it quite frequently on rhapsody. The band is from Germany, and they have a dark, almost goth-like sound on this particular album though they use largely real instruments on this one compared to their other works. I have heard bits and pieces from their other works, but this album, I believe, contains their best songs.

"Monsieur's Departure"

This song is based on a text written by Elizabeth I of England about love she felt towards someone else. This is a very haunting, seductive, and beautiful piece reminiscent of a waltz, and it will get stuck in your head. This is the song that first introduced me to Qntal.

"Amis Raynaut"

This song is sung in French and has an almost seductive air about it; but, then again, the French language is like that. It is reminiscent of "Monsieur's Departure" though not as haunting.

"Levis"

This haunting song is also based on a Latin Medieval text and almost has a Mediterranean-style feel to it. I also like the use of the deep male voices in the background, which add to its dark mood. It is one of my favorites from the album.

"Von Den Elben"

This song starts off with the twanging of an instrument that sounds almost Greek, and then it works into a gentle harp and synthesizers before the singer Syrah's voice comes in. The entire piece is very pretty, and the musical arrangement is very lush.

"Lingua Mandax"

After the slowness of "Von Den Elben", the band picks it up with something more lively and almost tough-sounding. Even though it is sung in Latin, it almost sounds like German, which actually works for this song.

"Falling Star"

Syrah reverts to singing English again, and she shows off how she hit those high notes with the synthesizer humming in the background.

"The Whyle"

This song is in Middle English, I believe. It is lively and comes across almost like a dance.

"Winter"

This piece is pretty. Some instrument in the background makes almost a dripping sound, which makes me think of a melting winter turning into spring.

"Altas Undaz"

This song returns to lush background instrumentation. The chorus is very pretty with Syrah singing more high notes.

"292"

This song sounds a little like "Lingua Mandax" except it has a far gentler sound. It also sounds Mediterranean- inspired.

"Silver Swan"

The last song on the album is a gentle, orchestral piece; with Syrah's vocals, it sounds graceful and beautiful, like a swan gliding on a lake. It is a fitting end to the album.

This album is very pretty. I have no general complaints about it except that some of the pieces do sound the same after a while. However, it is a beautiful and memorable piece of work that I will enjoy for years to come.

I give it four out of five stars.

"Holiday High" by Spalding and Lasar

2010-12-15T16:31:00.004-05:00

And now for a Christmas music review. Now that finals are over, I now have the time to do this.

I first discovered Cadence Spalding through my pandora radio stations this past year, and I liked her layering vocals, so I caught on. During my free trial for emusic, I was looking her up and discovered this album that she did with her husband Mars Lasar. After one listen, I used my credits to download the album and now have the pleasure of listening to it frequently. For those not acquainted with Spalding's work, she sounds like Enya except her voice is higher and that she sings what sounds like both alto and soprano parts, which set her apart from the Irish singer.

"All Is Calm"

This is a version of "Silent Night". It is a very pretty version, though I think having Cadence's more real-sounding vocals almost sounds a bit jarring.

"Candles Shine"

This is "Away in a Manger". Another pretty song.

"Prayer"

This is a different version of "O Christmas Tree", as these lyrics do not match up with the original ones. The real vocals again sound a bit jarring and almost ruin the ethereal sound of the layered voices.

"Peace"

I believe this is an original composition of Spalding's or her husband's. This is basically a prayer for Christmas.

"Oh, Come Rejoice"

I think this is also another original composition. It is pretty though not one of my personal favorites.

"The Babe"

This is "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel". I personally like versions of this old hymn that have a darker feeling to it, and this one suffices very well between the haunting voices, the drums in the background, and then the flute towards the middle of the song. My only complaint is that I would have not sang the first verse and chorus twice. Otherwise, it is very pretty.

"Angel Song"

This is "What Child Is This?", and it is very beautiful. It just might be my favorite version.

"Turn Your Heart"

This is "Angels We Have Heard on High", and it is also is a pretty piece.

"Fall on Your Knees"

This is an original composition, though it starts off like "O Little Town of Bethlehem." It is one of my favorites from the album.

"Stars in the Sky"

This is "O Holy Night." I believe this is Cadence singing the main melody, though to me it almost sounds like a boy's voice. Not another of my personal favorites.

This is a very pretty album. It is not sentimental like other Christmas albums, and I love Spalding's use of the layering. However, I think she could have removed her more natural- sounding voice from some of the pieces, as it did not add much to them. Another problem I have is that some of the song titles are seemingly mixed up. I don't know if this is emusic's fault or not, but the last three song titles do not match what I listen to on rhapsody and what amazon says (the song order in the review is as rhapsody gave me and is the same as amazon's). Along the lines of song titles, it got confusing trying to figure out what Christmas song was what and re-naming them so I remember which one is which; it would have been easier to stick to the original titles.

Otherwise, I have very few complaints with this Christmas album. It is beautiful and will probably be listened to all year round by me. I give it four and 1/2 stars out of five.

Upcoming Reviews

2010-12-08T23:15:00.003-05:00

I'm still here. After finals next week, I've got quite a few music reviews to do. Here is a list (not necessarily in order that I will do them) of which ones I want to do:

"Deirdre" by Deirdre Shannon
"Celtic Christmas" by Orla Fallon
"Silver Swan" by Qntal
"Dissolution of Eternity" by Dargaard
"Holiday High" by Cadence Spalding and Mars Laser
"Songs for a Fallen Angel" by John McGlynn

Keep watching this blog, and hopefully I can get a few of these written over my Christmas break.

Remembering Celtic Woman

2010-11-29T18:43:00.002-05:00

As a few know, my liking of Celtic Woman has been declining over the past few years, but it worsened these last few months with the departures of both Alex and Lynn. To me, the group doesn't sound the same anymore, especially ever since Meav and Orla took off. And my hopes have not been risen either by the announcement of the new member today.

Today I was reminded of the good ol' days before Meav and Orla left, back when the five original members existed in the group. Videos of Orla's recent Christmas concert in Nashville have been popping up on youtube, and I've been watching them. Someone today uploaded one of Meav and Orla singing "Do You Hear What I Hear?". I started watching it, and oh, did my eyes begin to water up. Watching the two smiling and singing together, I was immediately reminded of Celtic Woman between 2004 and 2007, back when I thoroughly enjoyed their music and the girls' stage presence. The singing was gorgeous, but it was seeing the two interact and treat each other like old friends as they performed and hearing the people applaud loudly and give them a standing ovation afterwards, that's what got me. It made me realize how much I truly miss the old Celtic Woman, the one I discovered back in 2006 through a random music search, and sadly I don't think I'll ever see it again, live or in studio.

So, I heartily recommend finding the video on youtube and watching it. It will remind you of Celtic Woman's glory days, and, plus it's an excellent addition to anyone's Christmas music library.

Movie Review: Toy Story 3

2010-11-20T16:37:00.004-05:00

I admit it; when I first saw the trailer for "Toy Story 3", I was a little dubious about it. And, hearing mixed reviews from other people who saw it, I was skeptical and not sure what to think. However, last week, my family got it from our local Redbox and watched it.

The story takes place around ten years after the events of "Toy Story 3", when Andy is preparing to go off to college and his toys are not looking forward to moving into the attic. After mistakenly being thrown in the garbage, the toys decide to go off to the local daycare, where they will have someone new to play with them. However, things take a different turn when the daycare turns out to be a living nightmare, and the toys must escape.

Despite my misgivings about the movie, I turned out enjoying it far more than I expected to. However, I will insert a little warning here: this movie, despite being for children, does not exactly contain material for younger ones. There are a couple of creepy characters that would absolutely terrify kids and a couple of situations that they could be freaked out by. Not only that, but there is a little more "adult"-themed material like tying up a Barbie doll in his underwear and torturing him or the same character seemingly cross-dressing later on; it is played on for laughs, but I would be a little edgy on showing it to kids. Though, I will say, the last few scenes of the movie will make you cry, especially the adults or parents.

One issue I did have with the movie was the repetitive situations and such that have been used in one of or both of the previous films. A few examples are the toys always getting lost and having to find their way home, a toy who seems kind but turns out malicious, and Buzz going through his "space ranger" delusion. While each situation, granted is a little different, it does come across as being somewhat repetitive and unimaginative.

Other than those issues, "Toy Story 3" lives up to its two predecessors and is a worthy addition to anyone's Pixar collection as well as being a (hopefully) good ending to the "Toy Story" trilogy.

I give it 4 and 1/2 stars out of five.

Loreena McKennitt- The Wind That Shakes the Barley

2010-10-25T18:42:00.003-04:00

Ok, any Celtic music lovers out there, Loreena McKennitt is releasing her new album "The Wind That Shakes the Barley" on November 15th (in the US). It seems Ms. McKennitt is returning to her original Celtic roots, as all nine songs are traditional Irish ones. Samples are available on her website, and I must say, they sound amazing. I largely know of McKennitt's music by her more Middle Eastern and Mediterranean themes, but this is a different flavor for her. Taking the lush arrangements from her more recent works and adding the beautiful sound of the uillean pipes, Loreena's music seems different yet good. I am thoroughly looking forward to the release of the album, and I think I may just add it to my very small Christmas list for the year.

Orla Fallon: "Winter, Fire, and Snow"

2010-09-09T16:41:00.002-04:00

And, now as I promised recently, I shall give you all a review of Orla Fallon's Christmas/ winter-themed album "Winter, Fire, and Snow".

"What Child Is this?"

This hymn, with its familiar tune of "Greensleeves" is pretty, although the style and arrangement strikes me as something Moya Brennan would do.

"Emanuel"

This traditional hymn starts off acapella with fairly large pauses between stanzas (which becomes annoying and does not have a smooth feeling to it), and then it works into the rest of the band. I am not familiar with these verses, as this version has ones not normally sung. Compared to Enya and Hayley Westenra, this song is nothing memorable.

"Away in a Manger"

Orla sung this on Celtic Woman's Christmas album, and this version sounds almost identical, like what she would have sung with them. I would have preferred a different arrangement.

"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"

Orla picks up the pace on this song, but I do not get the feeling of "comfort and joy" in the way she sings it. The piece then transforms into an instrumental version of "We Three Kings" (though I honestly had difficulty telling the two songs apart).

"Silent Night"

This song has been covered in Gaelic so many times it has grown old on me. It sounds almost identical the one Meav sang with Celtic Woman.

"Captain O'Cain"

Orla's harp has returned after spending time in the background on "Distant Shore". It is a pretty song, and the tune is familiar to me, having heard Maggie Sansone perform it. However, I do not know why this song was put on a Christmas/winter album.

"Bells of Christmas"

This song, most likely written by Orla, is pretty and sounds like Moya Brennan mixed with a bit of Loreena McKennit. To me, it is the only Christmas-y song on the album without coming across as sentimental. One of the few highlights of the entire album.

"In the Bleak Midwinter"

There is nothing particularly memorable about this song for me, despite being a pretty arrangement.

"Suantrai"

No, this is not the same one that Meav performs on her album "Celtic Journey"; rather, this is Anuna's version. Unless the song refers to Christ, once again I don't know why it ended up on this CD.

"Carolan's Welcome"

I have heard a couple of versions performed by Aine Minogue and the Chieftains, but the latter is still my absolute favorite. Orla sounds more like Aine here, and I'm still a bit puzzled over why a non-winter/Christmas tune is on here.

"Winter, Fire, and Snow"

This song is a poem converted to song form thanks to Brendan Graham (author of "My Land", "The Voice", and "You Raise Me up") and made popular by Orla's former collaborator Anuna. Even though it a haunting piece, Anuna's still holds my heart.

"Wexford Carol"

This carol sounds, again, identical to Meav/ Celtic Woman's.

I was hoping that this album would be an improvement over Orla's "Distant Shore" (which I thought was too pop-sounding for her style), but I found "Winter, Fire, and Snow" to be sadly worse.

First off is the style. Orla has departed from the pop, but she is now swinging more towards sounding like Moya Brennan. Maybe it is just because she is discovering her unique style, but Orla here sounds like a wannabe doing what other artists have already done and not standing up to them. She should find her own sound and stay there.

Second is the song choice. Besides a few Christmas/winter tunes, the album itself does not have the feel of something to listen to on a winter's day. Songs like "Carolan's Welcome" and "Captain O'Cain" sound more like filler and do not fit into the general scheme of things. And not only that, but the song arrangements are lacking and unimaginative. They sound more like Celtic Woman and less like Orla as a solo artist; and those not inspired by CW sound like Moya Brennan or come across as being passionless and flat, with nothing truly memorable about them.

Third off is Orla's voice itself. I read somewhere that the album was done in a short period of time, and it sounds exactly like that. Even though I have no critical fondness for "Distant Shore", I could still see Orla smiling and putting her heart into what she was singing. Here, I do not get that impression. Everything sounds rushed, as if there was no time to put a little heart and soul into what was performed.

I know Orla can do much, much better than this. She has no lack of talent or personality in singing and playing the harp, but sadly she fell flat on this CD. I was very disappointed to hear this album, and I can only hope that this is not a sign of things to come.

I give this album one and a half out of five stars.

Movie Review: Inception

2010-08-26T10:27:00.002-04:00

While I hold off on the new Orla Fallon CD, I've decided instead to do another movie review for Christopher Nolan's "Inception", which I saw earlier this week.

"Inception" is not your typical heist movie commonly seen in theaters today. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Cobb, a thief who does his work in a most unusual fashion: breaking into someone's mind while they sleep and stealing their ideas. After a botched job, his victim, played by Ken Watanabe, offers him a deal: if he can cause the break-up of a rival company, he will enable Cobb to return home, as he has been living overseas in exile for an unspecified amount of time. Cobb assembles a team together and prepare to do this very risky job, but his personal demons are not far behind and could put the entire mission in jeopardy.

All in all, the movie was absolutely amazing. The story being centered around how we dream was a fascinating concept and came across as being very original. There was good, solid acting from everyone, and I have no complaints about the characters, even though DiCaprio's character in some ways was reminiscent of his role in "Shutter Island". The special effects were excellent, and they gave the film a surreal, dream-like feel. And, not to mention the ending of the film which will have everyone talking about it for days and make you want to see it again.

I highly recommend this film, and it is truly one of the best movies I have seen in a long time.

I give it five out of five stars.

Upcoming CD Review

2010-08-20T11:10:00.002-04:00

I am, at the moment, listening to former Celtic Woman Orla Fallon's Christmas/ winter CD "Winter, Fire, and Snow", purchased in MP3 form from Green Hill Music. However, because of her upcoming Christmas show in Nashville and because the CD largely being released the second week of September, I will not be posting a review until around then. Besides, it will give me more time to digest the CD and its content, something I wish I had done when writing a review of her "Distant Shore" last year. So, keep your eyes open for this upcoming review.

Movie Review: Shutter Island

2010-08-05T20:51:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago, on a recommendation from some friends and my own brother, my family rented this thriller from Blockbuster.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

Edward (also known as "Teddy") Daniels is a US marshal summoned out to Ashecliff, a psychiatric hospital on Shutter Island, to find a missing patient named Rachel Solando there. He and his new partner "Chuck", as they dig deeper into finding the woman, discover that not everything is as it seems and that darker things could be happening at the hospital while, at the same time, Teddy battles the memory of his dead wife Dolores who urges him to find the man who killed her and may be on the island himself.

This movie was an interesting choice for Martin Scorsese, who is more well-known for his gritty films like "The Departed" and "Gangs of New York", but he pulled off this psychological thriller very well. Even though I had partially guessed the twist ending about halfway through the movie, it was still a surprise to me. The ending left no plot holes and fit the story perfectly; in fact, watching it a second time, I picked up more clues that gave it away, so do pay attention to it. I have no general complaints about this film, as it was enjoyable and well-done.

I give it four and a half stars out of five.

Sorry for Being Slow

2010-07-31T15:42:00.000-04:00

Well, the title says it all. I've had a couple of ideas of what to post, but none so far have materialized, as I'm in the middle of a creative drought at the moment. I'll try to post something soon.

Movie Review: Alice in Wonderland

2010-07-10T21:16:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago, 3/5 of my family saw this film for the first time thanks to Blockbuster, as the other 2/5 had already seen it in theaters.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

Tim Burton, known for his wacky films like "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (yes, I know it should be in italics) and "Big Fish", at first seems to be made to bring Lewis Carrol's film to the big screen. Instead of sticking to the original material, Burton creates a new and independent story where the original events occurred before the movie begins. Several years have passed, and Alice has grown up into an independently-minded young woman who hates popular society but does not feel she can get out of an arranged marriage. While at her engagement party, she sees a white rabbit running around and follows it down the hole. The viewer soon learns that Alice has been in Wonderland before as a child but that she has virtually no memory of it, believing it to have been a bad dream. Upon her arrival, Alice discovers that Wonderland is being ruled by the bad-tempered Red Queen, whose pet jabberwocky is wrecking havoc on the kingdom, and that it is only she who can kill the jabberwocky and restore the rightful ruler the White Queen to the throne. Alice denies that she can do this, but she goes on a quest to find the needed sword and help her new friends.

On the one hand, I can understand why Burton wanted to give the story a plot because the original lacks a definitive one, but on the other hand it comes across as silly and unoriginal. While watching the movie, I kept thinking of "Chronicles of Narnia": child goes to other world, discovers is object of prophecy but refuses to believe it, then goes on a journey of self-discovery and ends up fulfilling its destiny then returning home to find that normal life can be conquered after all. This, I thought, was a very modern-fied version of Carrol's classic story and did not flow smoothly with it. Not only that, but several elements such as the White Queen and the jabberwocky were not even from the original story but were from other works of Carrol's, and so they really did not fit into the general scheme of things. The characters were not well-done either. Far from being the curious child, Alice has turned into an independent woman, the stereotypical girl not sure what to do who later decides to do things her own way. The rest of the characters are nothing really memorable, and even Johnny Depp's performance as the Mad Hatter wasn't as good as his other roles such as Captain Jack Sparrow or Willy Wonka; plus, the whole implied relationship between Alice and the Hatter was a bit weird.

The movie wasn't that bad, but it wasn't great either. It was worth it for one watch but not to see over and over again.

I give it two out of five stars.

Movie Review: Robin Hood

2010-05-29T12:49:00.002-04:00

Last weekend, my family and some friends went to the theater, which is a rare occasion for us, to see Ridley Scott's "Robin Hood".

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

This adaptation of the legend tries to fit into history and real events. You have Robin as a soldier fighting under Richard Lionheart in France and then returning home to fulfill a promise made to Robert of Loxley as he lay dying. He meets Loxley's widow Marian and her father-in-law Walter, who convince him to stay for a while and pretend to be the dead Loxley. At the same time, you have Godfrey, working for the French king, wrecking havoc all over England and the newly crowned King John trying to deal with this and other issues in his kingdom.

I can see why a lot of reviewers did not like this particular version, as it severely deviates from the original legend. Sometimes this can be a good thing, but in some cases it can cripple the story. Most of the time, Robin uses a sword and leaves the bow behind, only to use it for a few specific shots that last only a few seconds. Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham were barely even villains, and the prince only because he refused to sign a version of the Magna Carta. There was almost no mention of the taxes and suffering of the general people so well-known to the legend, and the only thieving that Robin does is stealing corn so Marian can plant. Only three of the Merry Men are shown, and they have very minor roles in the story, mostly as comic relief occasionally called upon to help Robin fight when they're not chasing the women of Nottingham.

The story itself was weak and did not flow smoothly. Besides the fact that it started off slow then had a brief big battle at the end, there was too much going on. You have the Magna Carta (portrayed more as freedom for the people than as something the nobility created) then abruptly shift gears to Godfrey's rebellion with no further mention of it or to the war with France, which was unrelated. It came across to me as if the writers could not decide on what aspect to focus on, so they threw them all together into a jumbled mess. The story ends with the realization that this is meant to be a prequel or an explanation for the legend, which left me feeling unsatisfied and hoping that the story isn't continued into another movie.

In the end, the movie was nothing epic or something that I'd watch over and over again. I should have saved the seven dollars from the movie ticket for something else.

I give it two stars out of five.

Plagiarism

2010-05-11T20:10:00.003-04:00

A note to my readers: I may be hiding this blog and only letting certain people read it, though I've yet to make a decision about this. I was doing a random google search earlier today and discovered that the book review for "How to Save the World" Book 1 that I posted back last summer was re-posted elsewhere... alongside some atrocious grammar and spelling plus a couple of unintelligible sentences, but it was most certainly my review... like someone taking credit for writing it. I know reviews aren't copyrighted unless you publish them for a magazine or something like that, but it makes me a bit nervous about how many of my reviews have been re-written on the internet.

Lynn Hilary: "Take Me with You"

2010-04-09T21:42:00.002-04:00

Ok, sorry for disappearing for a month. I had to think of what music review to do next, as there are several Celtic CDs I want to do. For now, I'll review the solo album of new Celtic Woman member Lynn Hilary.

Since my first Celtic Woman show was in 2009 (despite discovering the group in early 2006), I was not acquainted with Lynn and her voice very well besides recordings that made their way on youtube. From what I did hear, I thought she had a nice voice though could not stand up to Meav. I still think that way for reasons that I will talk about later. Anyway, it was because of this that I did not buy Lynn's album or listen to it in great detail for a while. However, listening to it on pandora, lala, and youtube, I was convinced it was good and ended up buying it for eight dollars in MP3 form (cheaper than paying $20 for it at a Celtic Woman concert or paying $15 for it on Amazon). And now, on to the review.

" Melody of Life"

The album opens up to a gentle piano piece accompanied by a fiddle and Lynn's quiet voice. It is a very pretty song.

" Swimming in the Barrow"

The pace picks up with this John McGlynn song (it was actually because of this song that I discovered and fell in love with the original). It's nice, but I prefer McGlynn's solo version.

" Erin Beo"

A minor theme of this album is the departure of the Irish to America due to the Potato Famine, and this quiet song is the first out the two to discuss this. The depressing tone of the song turns hopeful and brighter during the chorus. A pretty and haunting piece.

" Sunset of Gold"

This song is a duet between Lynn and Don Mescall, who worked with her on this album in co-writing songs and such. It takes on a more intimate, jazz feel with the guitar, singing about sailing away from the bustle of the world.

" Carolina Rua"

Because Celtic Woman decided not to air their version of this song, I have grown to love this one. Lynn sings about a boy's crush on a girl named Carolina and is accompanied by her guitar. I like this version better than Celtic Woman's because this one captures the air of childhood innocence present in the song, rather than trying to turn it into a "Dulaman" or "Si Do Mhaimeo".

" Annie Watches"

This song, written by Lynn and by Anuna's John McGlynn (who wrote "Swimming in the Barrow"), is a gentle love song.

" What Makes the Sun Set?"

Another lovely jazz song with the piano and electric guitar.

" Take Me with You"

This song is probably one of the prettiest ones on the album and one of the more haunting ones. Once you hear it, you will never forget it.

" Shona Mara"

The immigration theme re-appears on this song about two lovers who are separated when one crosses the ocean and leaves the other behind. A tragic love song.

" Slan Le Maigh"

The only traditional song on the album is sung acapella. A pretty piece and one where Lynn slightly shows off on the high notes.

" Road to Glory"

Lynn picks up the pace with something fast-paced. Sung to the same tune as "Fields of Glory" (performed by The High Kings), this song talks about people searching for meaning in life.

" Angel Doves"

The album closes out with this Mindy Smith cover. It is a quieter piece but has a hopeful air about it.

A big plus about this album is that, which is rare to find, there is not one song on here that I dislike. I do have favorites, of course, but the entire album is beautiful. One thing that I really like about it is that this is pure Lynn, what her style of music is, and it perfectly suits her and her quiet, shy personality. This, to me, is what defines her, and not the songs she has performed with Celtic Woman (as I think they're forcing her into Meav's shoes). I wish they would let her do more of her own style, but I'm not going to go down that road.

I give the album four and a half stars out of five.

Movie Review: "2012"

2010-03-06T16:12:00.004-05:00

Last night, my family decided to watch Roland Emmerich's movie "2012", as the previews of world destruction looked pretty cool. In the end, it turned out to be nothing more than a cheesy movie with a script that made us want to give it the Mystery Science Theater treatment.

Basically, the premise is that neutrinos from the sun are making the earth's core heat up and start melting the crust (the science completely escapes me on this), causing the 2012 Doomsday. So, several characters try to survive California falling into the ocean, the Yellowstone Caldera erupting, large earthquakes, and huge tsunamis while battling their own personal demons, largely with family members.

The effects were really cool, which is typical Emmerich, but the story itself was poorly written and at times even seems more like a cut and paste job from other movies like "Day after Tomorrow" and "Armaggedon." You have the typical divorced guy whose kids hate him and his wife wants to get back together, a jerk of a billionaire who cares for nothing except his spoiled sons, the young scientist trying to save the world and instill us with a sense of emotion with his speech about the good in people... I could go on, but let's just say the characters are cardboard cutouts. Even if your characters are typical stereotypes, it could be forgiven if the story and dialogue make up for it, but this sadly was not the case. A common theme, which became annoying quickly, was how most of the characters have family issues ranging from divorce, dead spouses, little relationship with their children, etc... As if a broken family is behind every good story. This is bad writing and has been overdone so many times, only serving to ruin the plot. Not to mention the sappy, predictable dialogue that pitifully tries to evoke emotion but instead makes you want to retch.

The story itself had plenty of potential, to be more than just a film with great effects, but sadly it fell far short of it. I give it one star out of five.

Brief Critique of Atlanta Show

2010-02-20T10:58:00.002-05:00

After writing a full-length Celtic Woman review on my family's blog, I was still on cloud nine and was not in any mood to critique it. But, after a few days (and a few small yet nonetheless embarrassing mistakes at work), the mood has passed on, though what I have to say is nowhere near as harsh as the "Songs from the Heart" DVD.

As I said in my other review, the candles used at a few points during the show reminded me more of an attempt to be like Anuna (who uses candles at times during their performances), which I don't give as a compliment. The lighting was not as annoying as my first show, where I felt like I was being blinded, but I thought they could have made the colors a little more subtle and not so bright.

The song choices, I thought, were good yet interesting. I think Celtic Woman was paying attention to fan reviews that said the new show was far too slow with not enough lively tunes because they sure made up for that, adding "Orinoco Flow", "At the Ceili", "Granuaile's Dance", "Mo Ghile Mear", and "Spanish Lady." It was a smart move on their part to add some variety. I liked Alex's new solo "My Heart Was Home Again" and thought it really showed off her voice so that she doesn't look like "the Orla stand-in with Lisa's voice yet the simplest songs out of all the girls". The new group piece was amazing, and I loved how they combined three (or four) songs into one, which is a very Irish thing to do. I wasn't disappointed that "True Colors" and "O America" were not in there, as I'm not fond of either, so pretty much I enjoyed all the songs performed.

However, that being said, I did have one major issue with one song: "Dulaman." I expected "Carolina Rua' to be performed; I like "Dulaman," but to me it's a Meav song while "Carolina Rua" is a Lynn song. If it's because of a supposed copyright issue or something similar, like is being claimed, I find it completely stupid and nonsensical; if you don't have the copyrights for it, then why do you perform it on a tour, then for a new show, release it as an Amazon-only download for both song and video, and then completely remove it from the new tour? It doesn't make sense to make fans all excited about it when it's performed on the "Isle of Hope" tour and performed at Powerscourt and then not release it at all, especially because I've seen that it's a fan favorite and there has been much disappointment over it's "disappearance". I could rant about this, so I'll just shut my mouth and get off my soap box.

Another disappointment at the show to me was Chloe's voice. When I first discovered Celtic Woman back in January of 2006, Chloe's "Walking in the Air" was what captured my attention, especially when later I found out she was only fifteen at the time of the recording; I was amazed that someone so young could sound so beautiful, with a sense of youth yet maturity at the same time. However, as I've noticed over the past few years, her voice and performances have not been as well-done as in the past. What I heard earlier this week sounded like (as another reader put it and which I agree with) Mariah Carey or an attempt at the R&B genra. It's completely out of line with her Classical voice, and I find it is very weak. The motions she does on stage, both at the live recording and what I saw live in Atlanta, were meant to convey emotion, but they did not seem real. Her voice used to sound so young and yet mature (much like Hayley Westenra), but now that has passed into lacking its original power. I'm not sure if Chloe is consciously doing this on her own accord or if management or the musical director is pushing her that way, but it does not sound good on her. I find her earlier performances, even if she looked stiff during them, to sound more powerful (I'm thinking of "To Where You Are", one of my favorites by her, as well as "Nella Fantasia").

Back to the positive. The girls looked like they were having fun that night, and I think Mairead was simply on fire. The show, as a whole, looked a lot less commercialized than what I saw last March, which was a big plus. I also enjoyed the girls speaking to the audience and using microphones on occasion, which made it seem a little more intimate and less like a show. I'm positive part of the show was lip-synched, but I'm actually puzzled about how much, as the microphones slightly threw me off. I did thought I heard two sour notes from Alex during "You'll Be in My Heart," but that song seemed live to me.

All in all, I enjoyed this show much better than the DVD and better than the show I saw last March.

Topic?

2010-01-30T00:12:00.002-05:00

Sorry for a lack of posts, but I've been otherwise occupied with my new job. I'm thinking of a new topic, but I'm running a bit out of ideas. I think I talk about/ critique Celtic Woman or Irish music too much, but I've not really read any interesting books or seen a neat movie lately. I think I need to find another topic of interest, as this blog seems to be more about what's on my mind (which could be anything from Irish music to cryptzoology to science). Maybe that's why I called it "ramblings" because I ramble most of the time. :P

Global Warming?

2010-01-05T15:36:00.002-05:00

Um... excuse me, I thought the whole world was on the verge of an environmental disaster because of warmer-than-usual weather. I don't think we're on the same planet because right now in Georgia the temperature is below freezing and it's the middle of the day, and let me tell you, that is extremely unnatural. So, if the world is supposedly warming up, it surely isn't down here.

Good Grief....

2010-01-04T11:06:00.002-05:00

I don't know why, but it seems Celtic Woman fans whip themselves into a frenzy in a short period of time, as I've shown earlier. Now they're ardently denying that the show's latest creation "Songs from the Heart" isn't lip-synched. Look at the link for how they react. Note, the person isn't saying things like "Celtic Woman sucks" but is just saying "they don't sing live." (I also make a few postings here as Lunescent2007).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Au7F5jwiYE

I've known that CW's shows have been lip-synched for some time now. When I first saw "A New Journey" on PBS in 2006, I didn't think they were, though my mother, who's unfamiliar with the group, said they were. I wasn't really convinced until I saw the "Christmas Celebration" DVD, where it sounds almost identical to a studio recording except a few little extras were added to make it seem live. After that, I've been convinced that they don't sing live, but that doesn't stop me from listening to them or watching their videos. It does bother me a bit that they don't show off their natural voices during concerts, but that's beside the point.

The point is, they do lip-synch. The voices sound identical to a studio recording and ultimately, that is what defines the matter. If you want to hear the girls' real voices (granted, the quality is bad, but this is probably as close to their real voices as we'll hear), check out the following links.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF5RvO_FUc4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvsbInFb3RI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UgPF0RnB6s

In the meantime, people don't need to leap all over each other just because someone says "oh, they don't sing live." All I can say is, good grief.

Book Review: "Dead Men's Secrets"

2009-12-31T01:04:00.002-05:00

I discovered this book's existence recently while doing a random amazon search, and I put it on my Christmas list. After receiving it on Christmas, I finished this book by Jonathan Gray in two days. It is largely an easy read, the majority of it being a list of out-of-place objects and places like ancient cities in South America and evidence of ancient space travel.

The book, on the one hand, is interesting and has lots of tidbits not for the faint of heart. I knew about some stuff like ancient space travel and ancient nuclear warfare, but I did not know about the possibility of ancient man being on the moon and Mars, the Black Knight satellite, and widespread supposed underground tunnels and cities. I also found his explanation of monoliths to be very interesting and also in support of the electric universe theory (the theory that the universe is held together by electricity and it explains pretty much everything from meteors, how stars run, and even phenomena like storms on Jupiter and Saturn. holoscience.com is a good place to look, if you are interested, though granted I don't believe in everything the guys are promoting with their theory, but I digress). Pretty much the evidence Gray puts forth argues that ancient man was not hairy and stupid but rather that he was highly advanced, even more so than we are today.

However, I do have some problems with Gray's book. For one thing, he has very few sources. I have yet to check out some of them, but I do take issue with him using Zechariah Sitchin as a source (if you want to be taken seriously, please do not use the writings of a man who believes we were genetically modified by aliens). The lack of sources makes it hard to determine where exactly he got the information and thus makes it questionable at times. I didn't like his theory of how the Ice Age began; here I will say that sadly I think Creationists, though I am in their camp, do not do much research in scientific fields and just like uniformitarians refuse to change their mind or look elsewhere for real explanations. I also thought his interpretation of Scripture was extremely weak. I don't know what translation he used, but some of the words he claimed supported his theories did not make sense at all or just seemed far-fetched; I also do not agree with his view on the Levitical dietary laws being implemented only for health reasons or in his premillenial views that come out a few times in the book. There were a few places where he wrote about events like the night the Flood happened and an ancient nuclear attack that were meant to be dramatic, but I thought they were silly and stupid; it would have been better if he had left them out. At a few points, the book became a bit boring and repetitive, and I think he would have done better not to repeat the same thing a few times. Finally, I think the book should have been edited much better. There were often huge spaces between words, sometimes words were combined like "SumariaBulgaria", on occasion it looked like he forgot to add something under a subtitle, and just in general the formatting and editing was poorly done and pretty noticeable.

Despite these issues, the book was an interesting read and definitely made me think and put things together in certain places, especially because I enjoy learning about things like these when they're not written by a psycho or a questionable source.

I give it three out of five stars.

Joyeux Noel

2009-12-25T12:02:00.002-05:00

It's becoming a family tradition to watch the movie "Joyeux Noel" on Christmas Eve or Christmas day. This foreign movie, based on real events, is set in 1914 when British, German, and French soldiers called a ceasefire on Christmas Eve. They exchanged gifts, sang songs, showed pictures, played football, and buried their fallen soldiers. It's a very powerful and stirring movie, not your typical sentimental sap that most Christmas movies are. It's rated PG-13 and has some language, a brief sex scene, and some violence, but it's an excellent movie. I highly recommend it this holiday season.

A merry Christmas to you all!

Hayley Westenra "Winter Magic"

2009-12-08T09:34:00.003-05:00

Well, after giving Celtic Woman a heavy critique, I think it's time for a better review for Hayley Westenra's new album "Winter Magic." I must admit, when I first heard the samples a fan posted on youtube, I was far from impressed. However, last week, I was looking on lala and saw that the album had been added. I thought it couldn't hurt, so I listened to it in entirety. This time, I was better impressed and downloaded it.

"The Little Road to Bethlehem"

I'm not familiar with this Christmas song, so it was nice to hear something unfamiliar. It's a lovely song, and Hayley sings it well.

"Carol of the Bells"

When I think of this Christmas tune, I think of it as being upbeat and joyful. Hayley turned it into something slow, and I think she could have done it so much better. She does pick up the tempo a bit, but it doesn't sound as joyful or natural as some of the other songs on her album.

"The Christmas Song"

Hayley's voice sounds very high-pitched here, like she has a cold, but the song itself is lovely. I love the musical arrangement with its intimate, almost jazz-like sound.

"Veni Veni Emmanuel"

One thing that irks me about Christmas songs on the radio is that someone covering a song like this one or "Joy to the World" sings the first stanza for the entire song. Hayley doesn't do that, much to my pleasure. She sings the song entirely in Latin (though she pronounces it as if it is Italian), and the whole orchestra interprets it beautifully, giving it a powerful feel.

" Silent Night"

This has got to be my favorite interpretation of this hymn and one of the highlights of the album.

" Christmas Morning"

Another one of my favorite songs on the album and another that I am not familiar with. Hayley adds joy to this song about children waiting on Christmas morning for the adults to wake up so presents can be opened.

" Sleigh Ride"

Another highlight of the album. Hayley sings this song about two lovers going for a sleigh ride with great joy and as if she herself is going out for the ride.

" River"

I'm not familiar with Joni Mitchell besides Hayley's cover of "Both Sides Now" (which I like). This song is quiet and subdued, yet Hayley sings it well.

" The Little Drummer Boy"

I like Hayley's interpretation of this song with the orchestral accompaniment.

" Corpus Christi Carol"

I've never heard of this song before, but it's very haunting and beautiful. Hayley sings this in Middle English with the gentle accompaniment of the harp.

" All with You"

Hayley herself wrote this love song, and it's pretty. Her voice communicates emotion well, and you can tell she is putting her soul into it. One of the album's highlights.

" The Coventry Carol"

This is a rare Christmas song, as Anuna is the only other group I know to have covered it. It opens up with an Anuna-like Medieval chant that accompanies Hayley throughout the song. Very pretty.

" Winter's Dream"

This is another one of Hayley's compositions, and it has an ethereal feel to it. Another pretty song.

" Peace Shall Come"

The album ends with another song written by Hayley. It has a pop feel to it, yet it still retains power with Hayley's voice.

All in all, this has got to be my favorite Christmas album this season. I like how Hayley mixes in familiar tunes like " Silent Night" with her own compositions and rarer Christmas tunes and also how she ranges from intimate, acoustic pieces to pop to grand orchestral arrangements. The whole arrangement of it all is just stunning, and it all fits together well. My one complaint is that here Hayley does not hit as many high notes as she has on her earlier works like "Pure" and "Odyssey" and that at times her voice is a bit high-pitched then what a fan is used to. Still, this album is beautiful and a worthy addition to any Christmas collection or to that of a Hayley fan.

I give it five out of five stars.

My Thoughts on "Songs from the Heart"

2009-12-02T12:50:00.002-05:00

Well, after what seems to be a long wait, Celtic Woman released "Songs from the Heart." Since I don't have TV, I instead stalked youtube to find videos of the show, only to be pleased to discover that EMI released them. After watching the videos, I must admit that I feel underwhelmed with what I saw and heard. The effects of smoke and lights looked sloppy and not clean like they did at Slane and the Helix. The choir was distracting as they stood directly behind the singers and sang way more than they used to in the past, and the constant views of Helen Kelly quickly got on my nerves (I guess soon this will be "The Kelly Sisters" and not Celtic Woman). I felt bad for Lynn and Alex only getting one solo when everyone else had two (or four in Mairead's case), and it seems like there was more coverage of the other three then on them.

The song choices, I thought were poor. I did enjoy "The Moon's a Harsh Mistress," "Non C'e Piu," "Lost Rose Fantasia" (though I could have sworn it was a longer piece), "Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears," "My Lagan Love," "Finale," and "Pie Jesu." "Nil Se'n La" was catchy, using the original song tune, but here's the thing: they make it out like it's a party song when in the original it is far worse than that; if you want to keep the program G-rated, steer clear of pub tunes and find something else lively to sing. "Amazing Grace" is a lovely hymn, but problem is that it has been done so many times to the point where it is sentimental; I didn't like the bagpipes on it, and I just didn't like it that well. I'm not a fan of the new "Danny Boy" (no one can belt it out with emotion and charisma like Meav) or "Goodnight, My Angel", and I'm getting tired of "You Raise Me Up" being played pretty much every live concert (except for the Christmas one). "Fields of Gold" is ok, though I find "Send Me a Song" and "Caledonia" to be two of Lisa's better pieces. I wish they had added "You'll Be in My Heart" instead of "True Colors," and I wouldn't have minded at all to hear "Carolina Rua" again; it may be a different story when the DVD comes out, but so far what I've heard doesn't sound very good in that respect. "Coast of Galicia" was not bad, but I think Mairead's bow truly leaps into flames only during "The Butterfly" and "Granuaile's Dance"; on that note, I found "Slumber, My Darling/ The Mason's Apron" to be boring and predictable; she should have done "Toss the Feathers" instead (The Corrs did an amazing live version with an amazing bodhran solo), but that's just me. I wasn't a big fan of Chloe's solo pieces either, and neither grabbed my attention. I've read fans reviews saying that the music was sort of boring and not really lively, and I have to agree with them; where's the playfulness of "Spanish Lady," the power of "The Voice", the fire of "The Butterfly," or the melancholy nostalgia of "Newgrange"? Not a lot of variety in song choices this time.

I think one thing I really missed was having Meav and Orla there. Lynn and Alex have lovely voices, but replacing those two just didn't cut it. In fact, to me, it seemed that Lynn was more or less a stand-in for Meav with the choir singing along with her instead of providing harmony like they did when Meav was there. Alex, on the other hand, was not really given a chance to shine. From what I've heard, she can belt out a tune as good as Lisa, but you can't have her competing with Celtic Woman's star performer, so give her simple pop songs that pretty much anyone can do with no high notes or anything of the sort. So, I was disappointed at the way the two new girls were treated on the new show; at least they treated Hayley Westenra with more respect when she briefly performed.

All in all, I'm not very fond of the new show. I may get used to it like I did with "A New Journey," but so far I've got to rank this one at the bottom next to "A Christmas Celebration." I give it two and a half stars out of five.

P.S. Remember, die-hard fans, I control the comments. This is my opinion, so don't bash me for it. Thank you.

40 K!

2009-11-24T14:50:00.001-05:00

I just passed 40 K! That is a big goal marker, which means I am four-fifths of the way through. I calculated that if I write 2 K every day (except Sunday), I should reach 50 K on Monday night, before the contest ends. Yes, I'm thrilled. Getting this far into a story isn't an easy feat, and it usually means that this one will survive.

Getting Impatient...

2009-11-19T13:21:00.002-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0alvwkc6ak

After watching PBS' promo trailer for "Songs from the Heart," I'm getting antsy. I've finally heard part of "You'll Be in My Heart" again, which I'm really stoked about because I loved it the first (and only) time I heard it. "Nil Se'n La" will prove to be interesting; it's got a catchy tune, but I wonder if they're going to keep the original lyrics (being that it's originally about an irresponsible farmer wasting his money at the pub) or not. "Non C'e Piu" is getting stuck in my head. Yes, I'm feeling very impatient. I'm waiting either for someone to record it off of PBS and upload it on youtube, or for an announcement of a show in Atlanta on their next tour. Either one, and I will be a very happy camper. Until then, I think I'm going to go a bit crazy. Hehe....

Lala

2009-11-18T22:43:00.002-05:00

A week or so ago, my sister introduced me to lala, and I didn't think much of it. It is basically a free website that you sign up for, and you can listen to all kinds of music and even buy a few songs for less than a dollar each. I became impressed when I discovered that it also has hard-to-find artists like indie band Track a Tiger and bluegrass group Grand Union. Tonight I decided to buy two songs off of the website that I have had a very hard time finding elsewhere, and I now have two MP3 files on the computer that I can play on windows media and even put on my MP3 player. I am pleased thus far with my purchase. From what it looks like, lala uploads brand-new albums pretty quickly (for example, this week's new album from Norah Jones is already up. Orla Fallon's "Distant Shore" and Anuna's "Sanctus", which were released recently, are also up as well despite the former not being very well-known). Yet, because it is a bit expensive, I will use it solely for songs that I have a hard time finding elsewhere.

Well, back to nano. And enjoying Deirdre Shannon's "I Know My Love" (beautiful!) and John McGlynn's "Swimming in the Barrow" (the same song Lynn Hilary performed on her album "Take Me with You" though I prefer this version better than hers). I think tomorrow I'll buy a few more.

Wordcount

2009-11-14T00:35:00.000-05:00

So far just over 24 K, almost to halfway point. Whoo!

Meyer vs. Austen

2009-11-05T10:50:00.003-05:00

Ok, I know should be working on my nano, but I'm going to write this first.

I really loathe the "Twilight" series, from watching the first movie, reading samples of the story, and reading a summary of the entire thing. I used to enjoy reading the anti-fans of antishurturgal (I probably misspelled that) who loved slamming the series. Despite its occasional crudeness, it was hilarious and gave me an idea of the series (as I side note, I also enjoyed their critiques of the Inheritance Cycle and found them accurate). So by the time I saw the "Twilight" movie, it was pretty much what I expected: horrible. The romance is completely sappy and unrealistic, Bella is such an idiot, Edward is not a guy I'd want for a boyfriend, and the list goes on and on. I was reading more anti-stuff last night and discovered that Meyer's favorite author was Jane Austen and that fans have compared her stories to classic literature like Romeo and Juliet.

*Warning: Spoilers from "Sense and Sensibility" and "Pride and Prejudice" ahead

First off, no one can write a story compared to Shakespeare, Austen, or the Bronte sisters. I think people don't often realize that "Romeo and Juliet" is not a story of true love; it's about two rash teenagers who become infatuated and marry then commit suicide because they can't bear the thought of living alone; as Father Laurence says in the play "violent passions have violent ends." Problem with "Twilight" is that it's the same infatuation that passes for love but instead is portrayed in a favorable light, where it is true love. And this is passed off as being good reading?

I read in an interview with Meyer (that the antis pointed me towards) that she compared Edward and Bella to Austen's work, pretty much implying that her characters were the real deal, comparing "New Moon" to Willoughby and Marianne. That takes a lot of guts to compare the two, but in reality there's no comparison.

In the book, Marianne is the young woman who knows little of the world and falls in love with the dashing stranger who seems to love her too. He abandons her, and she is heart-broken, especially when she discovers he's marrying someone else. She is so grieved that she falls ill, but when she recovers she finds love again: in Colonel Brandon. Compare this to Bella and Edward. Bella is so depressed at being separated from Edward that she does dangerous things to see an image of his sparkly self again. Then, when they are reunited again in "New Moon," everything is just peachy and like nothing had ever happened. Marianne's behavior makes sense because she is young and passionate, so the loss of her love is felt. But when you discover that Willoughby is a complete dirt bag, you don't want him to come back; you want him to get away. Marianne learns through the process, and she matures, which enables her to find true love in Colonel Brandon. What does Bella learn? Nothing. She still goes for the good-looking boy who makes her feel good when she looks at him instead of something more solid. It makes me want to retch.

Meyer also has the audacity to compare "Twilight" to "Pride and Prejudice." Once more, another big no-no that makes me nauseous. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy actually have personalities, and they both make wrongful assumptions about each other that make their relationship rocky. But in the end, both realize their mistakes and fall in love in a non-sappy way. Compare this to the perfect Edward and his clingy girlfriend Bella, who has a non-existent personality except for centering her entire life around a vampire who wants to kill her. Where Meyer said she was inspired by this book is completely unknown to me because they are like day and night.There is no comparison whatsoever.

Well, now I've got that off my chest. I could probably rant more about why I hate "Twilight," but I'll save that for another day. Maybe I will in honor of "New Moon" in a few weeks.

Day 2

2009-11-03T15:46:00.003-05:00

I'm up to 8006 words. I calculated; if I do 4 K a day, I will be done with this nano in roughly ten more days. Now that would be quite a goal to try for and entirely possible. I thought my time would be more limited, but I've found this to be the opposite case so far. If this keeps going, I will hopefully be done by next week... without having to submit to coffee or staying up all night. Now that's something to be proud of.

First Day

2009-11-03T00:01:00.002-05:00

Well, I completed my first day of nanowrimo with a nice word count of 4,064. Not bad for squeezing in writing between studying for a midterm and trying to stay awake. Hopefully tomorrow I can stop writing the boring stuff and get into the more interesting part.

Oh, I changed the plot idea. I'm re-breathing life into a story that my friend Brittny and I wrote years ago back when we were romantic, sentimental 13- year olds. It's a Jane Austen-esque type story, though it's set in Scotland and focuses more on the friendship and trials of two young Christian women. I'm looking forward to updating the story and making it more mature. Looking over the original draft the other night was sobering and made us laugh when we realized how stupid we were in writing it. Well, everyone's got to start somewhere, right?

Hehe

2009-10-29T18:50:00.001-04:00

If you need a laugh, check out the video I filmed with my siblings and a friend yesterday. It's a spoof on horror movies and is meant to be a trailer. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2qZBhWbegw

Dino Hunter?

2009-10-27T14:02:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, I listened to my brother listen to "Beowulf," that ancient poem that's been adapted into several different movies/ storylines. While listening along and thinking about Grendal as a t-rex dinosaur haunting southern Scandinavia and Grendal's mother sounding like a water-loving dinosaur living in a lake, it got me thinking. My ancestry, as far as I could trace it back, goes all the way to Scandinavia via the Vikings. It made me wonder if any of my red-headed ancestors were dino hunters like Beowulf, if any of them did amazing feats like that in their homeland. I'll probably never know, but it was still an interesting thought, possibly having an ancestor like that.

Seven Days...

2009-10-24T17:29:00.002-04:00

No, this isn't "The Ring." I mean, seven days until nanowrimo and my life goes down the tubes for a month. The contest starts at midnight on November 1st, so seven nights from tonight. Seven days to back out at the last minute. Seven days to wonder if I can balance this huge project with school and living life normally. Seven days to finish preliminary world-building of my new untitled world. Seven days to finish Socrates and Plato. Quite a lot to do, and the contest hasn't even started yet. I'm sure if I think about this too closely, I'll lose my nerve. But, no, I must resist. I'm going to do this, and it's entirely feasible. November has 30 days, and the goal is 50,000 words by midnight of December 1st. I did the math and determined that if I write 2,000 words a day, I could finish early or on time... provided I run into no plot kinks which I'm sure will happen. Plus, I have the guys on the BotB forum as extra support for advice and such like that, like they did during last year's contest.

On the plus side, the contest is almost here. I drew a map of my world yesterday, and it really got me stoked. I also made a trailer/ slideshow using random Greek pictures, which has also made me excited. I'm ready to get this story started and to try something new. The link to the trailer is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBfFEQ8a_-U

Probably because of my mad dash to finish a 50,000 word novel (roughly about 90 pages of a word document with 12 font), I won't be posting here very much unless it's an update on my word count or announcing that I passed the 50,000 mark. Now I'm feeling excited again.

Categories of Irish Music

2009-10-22T12:50:00.002-04:00

Having a great love of Irish music and listening to it probably 50% of the time (though probably more), I started mulling over how it could be categorized. After thinking about it, I've come up with my own organization. The following is only my perception of Irish music.

Traditional (rustic)

This kind of music is the good old Irish oldies, the stuff that the purists play. They use all-traditional instruments like the bodhran, the harp, etc..., and their sound often sounds rustic, sort of like how American bluegrass sounds. The Chieftains would fit into this genra, playing oldies like "Boil the Breakfast Early" and "Carolan's Welcome". Clannad, in their pre-1982 "Theme from Harry's Game" days, would fit as well with their pieces like "Eleanor Plunkett," "Dulaman," and "Na Buchailli Alainn." However, they did turn slightly more electric with the keyboard towards the end, though they retained that rustic feel. Irish band Solas in their 1st two albums would also fit. They stuck with Irish and even a few American folk songs with traditional instruments and Karan Casey's distinct, youthful voice, though they later turned more pop-oriented.

Modern Traditional

Modern traditional is taking traditional Irish songs but playing them without the rustic feel of bands like The Chieftains. Irish singer Meav fits into this category, largely performing either folk songs or traditional Irish but usually without the normal instruments. Orla Fallon's first CD "The Water Is Wide" is much the same way, performing largely acapella and accompanied by the gentle harp, though a few other songs of hers use other non-traditional instruments like the piano. The High Kings would also fit here, singing old songs like "Paddy's Green Shamrock Shore" but also focusing on other non-traditional songs. I think the general rule that I read elsewhere is that if an Irish song is sung in English, then it is relatively new (within the last few hundred years) but if sung in Gaelic it is an oldie.

New Age Traditional

This is a small genra, as I only know so far of one artist in it: Aine Minogue. Aine plays with acoustic instruments, especially her harp, but she focuses on nature and Celtic paganism in her themes and in the purpose of her music, such as using the Greek myth of Pan in "Fill It to the Brim" or basing an entire CD on pagan Celtic ceremonies like "Between Worlds."

Before I go further, let me define what my definition of New Age is: I define it not as the sound of the music but its purpose or its lyrics. New Age music, to me, focuses on pagan religions like Wicca, on nature, or on other myths from around the world.

New Age

Ireland's most predominant New Age singer is Enya, though she herself doesn't like being put in the genra, despite her lyric's strong focus on nature and even a small focus on the bloodthirsty druids' religion in the song "Memory of Trees." Moya Brennan would also fit her, even though she does not like the genra either. Her lyrics often center around nature or on Celtic Christianity (which, at best, is a mixture of Celtic paganism and Catholicism); her album "Two Horizons" strongly indicates this, being about a spiritual experience in finding a mythical harp with the help of a mythical figure from the past. Norwegian-Irish group Secret Garden would also fit into this category with their songs like "Dawn of a New Century." Choral group Anuna is New Age somewhat, the premise of the group being to produce music so others can find their spirituality as well as in their songs "Wild Song" and "Shining Water."

Commercial

Commercial is when the Irish re-make and glamorize their songs for American audiences. Celtic Woman and Celtic Thunder are both examples, though they are moving strongly away from traditional and Gaelic to American pop. Dance shows Riverdance and Lord of the Dance may use themes of paganism or mythology with a few traditional instruments or the Irish sound, but they too are commercial.

American

American is attempts to recreate Irish music by non-Irish artists. Maggie Sansone plays her hammered dulcimer and does traditional songs like "Jezebel Carol" and "Mist Covered Mountains of Home," and she interprets them well, staying faithful to traditional Irish sound; her album "Mist and Stone" is an excellent example of this, and I recommend it. Loreena McKennitt, considered Canada's Enya, has performed traditional pieces though has moved into more New Age regions with her lyrics and her lovely additions of Middle Eastern sounds. The CD "Celtic Fantasy" is another good example of this genra. The CD focuses on Irish legends and lore though in a non- New Age way; it is mostly made up of instrumental pieces led by the fiddle, but it has a sound much like Secret Garden, maintaining its Irish heritage.

Misc

This genra is pretty much anything that doesn't fit anywhere else. Clannad, despite having a sound like Enya's, is different in terms of lyrics, as most of their lyrics (the exception are their soundtracks) are not focused on nature or mythology that much. Moya Brennan also fits here, sometimes being in the New Age realm and sometimes not, like with her first two albums and her recent "Signature." Orla Fallon is also here, as her album "Distant Shore" doesn't fit elsewhere. Anuna is also here because of its occasional focus on traditional songs like "Si Do Mhaimeo" or old Catholic songs like "Sanctus." The Corrs are also here because they are a mixture of sappy pop and a few takes on traditional songs like their album "Home."

And so, that are my categories for Irish music. I'll probably think of more genras or more artists to add later, but for now, that is how I look at Irish music. It is actually a very large branch of music if one looks at it, and it is very diverse in all the artists and songs that make it up.

Thinking...

2009-10-16T16:38:00.002-04:00

Sorry for lack of posts, but I have no new topic in my brain as of yet. I've got a few ideas, but I'm not sure if I should act on them or not. I'll try to think of something soon, though I'm not unwilling to take requests.

Orla Fallon- "Distant Shore"

2009-09-25T15:07:00.002-04:00

Even though I can't say I have a favorite Celtic Woman, the departure of Meav and Orla over the past few years have changed the group for me, especially when I saw neither of them at Atlanta earlier this year. I grew very excited about Orla's solo CD and bought the pre-ordered, autographed copy. I think I frightened my poor sister when I snatched it from her hands when it arrived yesterday, but I was so looking forward to it.

" Who Knows" is a very pretty soft piece, as is "Distant Shore." I love the up-beat song "Dancing in the Moonlight," which is a sure favorite. "My Land" is lovely, especially with the choir in the background. "Shooting Star" is another favorite, as are "Bean an Ti," "Always There" (which is written by Brendan Graham and Secret Garden who ironically wrote the original "You Raise Me Up" that has become Celtic Woman's theme song), "Voices on the Wind," and "Eleanor Plunkett."

Even though the entire album is lovely, I was slightly disappointed at its more pop-ish sounds. Orla and Meav, to me, were the most Irish out of the other Celtic Woman (past and present), and their solo albums beautifully capture that. This album is less Irish in that only two traditional songs are played here and Gaelic is only sung on one song. Another thing that I missed the sound of was Orla's harp. I hear it a couple of times on the album, but the piano is more predominant, which was a bit disappointing because Orla and her harp go so beautifully together. I also wished that I could have heard the more darker side of Orla's voice, the side that interpreted "Harry's Game" and "Newgrange" so well. Don't get me wrong. I love this album, as it was well-worth it, but I do miss the sound of her trademark harp and her interpretations of traditional Irish songs.

If you are an Orla fan, I highly recommend this album. I give it four and a half stars out five.

Now if Meav will release, a new album, then life will be good :D

Hold Your Horses

2009-09-24T15:17:00.002-04:00

In reality, modern science makes me laugh. With all of its assumptions and leaping to conclusions, it's frankly sometimes embarrassing. Yesterday I read about how now they've found proof that there's water on the moon: sensors picked up a chemical bonding of hydrogen and oxygen. I'm no chemist, but I did study some in a short breeze into organic chemistry last fall in physical science. A chemical bonding of hydrogen and oxygen doesn't mean there's water; there are many other combinations made up of those two elements. Anyway, reading that yesterday just made me crack up.

For you music lovers, stay tuned for an upcoming CD review. I received my Orla Fallon CD "Distant Shore" today and hope to post a review in the next few days.

An Aura of Mystery

2009-09-16T15:20:00.003-04:00

Ok, enough of the music rants. I really should think of more good topics besides either CD reviews or pointing out potential errors in a journalist's work. I've not been in much of a research/ geeking-out mood, so maybe that's why. Anyway, before philosophy class at college this morning, there was a rather hilarious discussion that led to me thinking of a more serious topic.

I'm a bit of a Lord of the Rings geek (I think anyone who reads The Silmarillion, has a Lord of the Rings dictionary, and a series of Lord of the Rings maps is :) ). I've read the trilogy a few times and own the trilogy in movie form. I'm currently making slow progress in re-reading the trilogy again after a few years, and I realized how much deeper and better the books are. I mean, no surprise there as movies rarely capture a book very well (except for Ang Lee's "Sense and Sensibility"). But in reading, I discovered something in the trilogy that I have yet to see in other forms of writing: an aura of mystery.

In "Fellowship of the Ring" (the book, mind you) the four hobbits make their journey across the Shire, through the Old Forest, to Bree, and then to Rivendell. On the course of their long trip, the four (later joined by Aragorn) go through very dark places, places with things that they can't explain. Take, for example, the journey through the Old Forest. The hobbits have all heard legends of the forest being a dark place with angry, living trees and such. Not only do these stories make the four slightly afraid as they travel, but strange occurances like the disappearing of the path and the trees moving so that the hobbits head straight for the strangest part of the forest keep them on their toes. But Tolkien doesn't explain fully why the trees move; as far as I remember, we don't learn of the ents until "Two Towers" and then it makes sense. It is this sense of mystery, the sense of "the hobbits and the reader don't know what's going on" that I found in reading. In a few places in the trilogy, the way Tolkien writes, he speaks of mysterious places, things that most people don't know or don't find an explanation for, like the watcher in the lake outside of Moria or Tom Bombadil. It gives me the sense of a vast fantasy world filled with mystery, a world much like our own where we can't explain everything and probably never will. This, I think, gives Middle Earth, a sense of being realistic and I think makes the story more real and more captivating in a sense.

I've yet to find the same aura of mystery in other fantasy stories. In "Cry of the Icemark," there is an instance of living trees (similar yet dissimilar to Tolkien's ents) that were rumored not to be real, but that sense of mystery is lost when the author explains what they really are. The Inheritance Cycle completely lacks any sense of not knowing what things are, probably because his elves are a bunch of rational know-it-alls. The Binding of the Blade series also lacks this same sense. In this way, to me, they feel a bit flat, a bit lacking in their worlds, making them sterile and as if everything has a rational explanation for it. Completely unrealistic, as there is so much to discover about our own planet and beyond that I don't think we can say we understand the universe. Tolkien, to me, captures this realistic mystery and brilliantly crafts it into his story, making it truly a great one.

Who's Lying?

2009-09-12T13:58:00.004-04:00

I know I've ranted about Enya vs. Clannad and the different stories before, but this one is a bit much. This interview was done last year (2008) to promote Enya's Christmas album "And Winter Came." The following is a quote from the interview, though I'm not sure if Ryan or Enya herself gave out the information.

" The split [referring to Enya's departure from Clannad in 1982 with their producer Nicky Ryan and her supposed separation from her family] was acrimonius... but they didn't speak for years, and only recently does she now see her nieces and nephews."

(The full interview can be found at the following link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/3562058/Enya-talks-about-her-new-album-And-Winter-Came.html )

Now check out this picture (I found it on Clannad/ Moya Brennan fansite Northern Skyline, so it is copyrighted to them and not to me):

Judging from the picture with Moya Brennan in the corner with her husband Tim and their daughter Aisling, this was taken probably in 1992 or maybe 1993 (depends on when Aisling was born). Now look in the central back of the picture. Unless my eyes are wrong, that looks like Enya sitting behind Ciaran and her parents. Now look at this next picture (same website, so does not belong to me):

All five of the Brennan sisters are here in the picture, and it certainly doesn't look recent (judging from Moya's hair color and style); it was probably taken between 1998 and 2002.

"Acrimonius" family split? Both pictures look happy with no tension or anything of the sort. If the split was that bad, then I doubt Enya would be in family pictures or sing at her brother's wedding.

The point? Either the writer of this article severely twisted the information given in the interview, or he was given faulty information. I'm not sure which one is true at the moment (though I have my own suspicions that I'm not going to say here), but all I know is that that article, which has provided much of Enya's pre-Watermark biography and her childhood information for wikipedia, is not telling the full truth here. I'm not a journalist and have no real desire to be, but I do know (based on college experience) that when doing research for an article, do a lot of research and not just rely on one source because that one source could be wrong.

"Amarantine" by Enya

2009-09-10T15:34:00.002-04:00

In trying to think of a good Celtic album to critique, I next decided to do Enya's "Amarantine." I've been listening to it and mulling over it, so I think I know how this will go. The following is only my opinion, so no one leap all over me for this, please. Got that? Good. Now on to the review.

" Less than a Pearl"- this opening to the album is sung in Enya and Roma Ryan's imaginary language Loxian (which is pretty much a mixture of five or more languages with no real structure). Despite the oddness of this language, it doesn't sound too much different from her vocalizations/ mouth music that she's done in earlier songs like "The Celts" or "The Longships." It's a pretty song, but the synthesizer and percussion could have been toned down a bit.

" Amarantine"- I'd rank this song as being up there with The Corrs' "Irresistable." It's not well-written, but it's catchy... until you listen to it about five times and then realize how much you dislike it. Not one of Enya's best romantic songs.

" It's in the Rain"- after the happy tone of "Amarantine," we move more to a sad pop sound. The synthezier makes background sounds like rain (though it doesn't sound as good as when it did on "Silver Rain" from another album). The song is meant to be sad, but it doesn't come across to me that way, not like "Evacuee" or even "Only Time" are.

" If I Could Be Where You Are"- this song is malancholy, but it is not the same tone seen in Enya's earlier works (i.e. her pre- "Memory of Trees" albums). There is minimal layering in this song, which works fine for the tone, but her voice is a bit louder than it usually is in her sadder pieces like "Evacuee" and "Exile."

" The River Sings"- and Loxian returns to the forefront again. One professional review compared this song to "Ebudae," but I completely disagree with him. This song uses a lot of layering, heavy percussion, and other artifical sounds, and thus in the end, while the language sounds cool and the song like something out of a sci-fi movie like "Dune," it is just one disorganized mess that on occasion almost drowns out Enya's voice for the sake of sounding electronic.

" Long Long Journey"- this is one of my favorite songs. It is in the vein of "On My Home" in regards to lyrical content, except it is sadder, as if it will be a long way home (makes me wonder if there is hidden meaning underneath regarding her seemingly horrendous break with her family but only if that story is true). The layering and electronic sounds don't drown out her voice and work perfectly together. I think, in my opinion, it is one of the better songs on this album.

" Sumiregusa"- Enya, having sung only in Loxian and English so far on the album, switches gears to sing in Japanese. There are a few parts, which I can't describe here for a lack of words, almost sound, well, odd... as if she's trying to make an imitation of Japanese music, but it comes across as an echo and sounds a bit out-of-place and not really like Enya.

" Someone Said Goodbye"- Roma must have been having a bad day or something like that because the lyrics here are just horrible and completely lacking the charm and beauty of her earlier works. The electronics are loud and almost drown Enya's voice here. It's not that bad of a song, but the lyrics pretty much ruined it for me.

" A Moment Lost"- the theme of this album, if there is one, is "love, the good parts and the bad parts." The song is not one of my favorites, but thankfully it relies more on the voice and not the synthesizer.

" Drifting"- the only instrumental of the album. Instead of a lovely piece on her acoustic piano, this relies on the sythesizer. It is not as well-done as pieces like "Shepherd Moons" and "Watermark." To an extent, the tune reminds me of "Inama Nushif," the beautiful Enya-esque piece from the "Children of Dune" soundtrack.

" Amid the Falling Snow"- another one of my favorites and one that a personally think is one of the best ones on the album. I think it could have been better if the percussion was softer and not as predominant, letting us focus on her voice completely, as a few times it comes close to drowning her out. But, that being said, I still enjoy this song a lot.

" Water Shows the Hidden Heart"- the album ends as it began: being sung in Loxian. After the mess of "The River Sings," this one is much more subdued and more organized. The tone reminds me of "Smaointe." I think it is one of the best songs on the album, not covering up her voice but focusing on that aspect of her talent.

I've noticed, listening back to Enya's earlier works up to present day, her works have declined in quality and beauty. I think this is largely due to the overuse of the synthesizer and bringing it to the forefront instead of letting it do its quiet yet nonetheless powerful work in the background. In the past, Enya's soft voice was in the front but had a quiet power; here, the music is too loud, lacking its original beauty. I think also, maybe, the quality of the lyrics are declining, and it is especially evident on this album. This album seems to have polarized Enya's fans on its quality, but it's not too horrible, though it's not one of her best ones. I think she should return to her "acoustic" roots seen on her early albums and stay there. Or, else, hire a new producer and lyricist and an actual band instead of one instrument doing everything.

I give the album two stars out of five.

What I Miss

2009-09-01T14:19:00.002-04:00

I was listening to Celtic Woman's version of "Somewhere" the other day, and I was struck by its beauty and how the individual, unique voices all blended together perfectly. I then listened (i.e. watched) to their recent version of "Danny Boy" but did not catch that same power. I think that the reason "Somewhere" is so special and, to me, is the defining point of Celtic Woman is because of the different voices. You have Meav's strong soprano, Chloe's youthful soprano, Lisa's strong alto, and then Orla's softer, darker alto. No voice here sounds alike, and that is why it is so beautiful. "Danny Boy," on the other hand, I couldn't tell the difference between Lynn and Alex unless the screen was showing who was singing. There were no powerhouse voices like Meav's on there, and the piece just sounded flat and rather boring with none of the complex harmonies seen in "Somewhere." I think that's one reason that I'm finding myself leaning more and more towards the old Celtic Woman: the unique styles and voices of the singers. Meav sang largely traditional pieces, Orla did traditional and Clannad, Chloe sang children's songs and Sarah Brightman, and Lisa did more pop, New Age pieces. These different styles all came together that one night in 2004, and they blended perfectly together, giving each singer a chance to be unique. I did not see that "magic," as it were, last March. The songs all blended together, just like they did on "Danny Boy," lacking their power and the uniqueness of "Somewhere," as Lynn is a classically trained singer though is more modern Irish and Alex is a theater performer just like Lisa. I guess that's what I miss about Celtic Woman the most, the different styles, different vocal backgrounds, and different voices blending together into a lovely unified whole.

Best of Albums

2009-08-30T23:53:00.003-04:00

Don't get me wrong. I like it when artists release "best-of" albums filled with their favorite music. However, what I dislike is when they release too many or too soon. Celtic Woman and Hayley Westenra both released albums only after a career of five years and less than five international albums. Enya did the same thing, a career of about ten years and four albums (I count "Enya" and "The Celts" as the same album), but good thing was I did not own her CD "Memory of Trees" and thus received some new surprises when I received it as a birthday present when I was about nine. But what makes me wonder what's going on is that she's released two other "best of" CDs and just two days ago announced a brand-new one coming out in November. Four best of CDs and seven studio albums. That screams "money-making" to me. Compare that to her sister Maire/Moya Brennan who has released seven solo albums over almost twenty years (roughly the same as Enya) but no best of CDs. Clannad has also released an insane amount of compilations, but I think that is largely because they stopped recording twelve years ago (though I'm eagerly waiting for their acoustic album that's supposed to be released soon).

In the end, I think most of the time "best of" CDs are just an excuse for a recording company to make some more money without going into a studio. Just goes to show, I think, how much the music industry is about making money and sucking the artists dry at their expense.

"Signature" by Moya Brennan

2009-08-21T11:55:00.005-04:00

I've finally managed to download most of Moya Brennan's most recent studio album "Signature," and I have to say, it is absolutely lovely.

According to several interviews, "Signature" is like a collection of snapshots, both good and bad, that look back over Brennan's life. Some of the songs are easy to tell what she's talking about, though others not as much. The music returns to a more acoustic, Clannad-esque sound after Brennan's largely electronic New Age "Two Horizons." Despite her age, over time I believe Brennan's voice gets better and better, as she never loses the power and beauty found in her voice like some singers do once they pass a certain age.

"Purple Haze"- nope, this is no Jimi Hendrix, but it is a stunning song. The background vocals are very reminiscent of Clannad, and there is a heavy depth to it without the overdone use of electronics. This song is one of my favorites.

"No One Talks"- a soft, acoustic song about Brennan's first failed marriage.

"Merry-go-round"- Brennan switches gears into a more electronic song written by her and her husband Tim Jarvis. Gaelic is spoken by the background chorus that sounds similar to Clannad. This is also one of my favorites.

"I Will Find You"- this song has been hard to find. It is a remake of Clannad's "I Will Find You" from the "Last of the Mohicans" soundtrack. From what I've heard, it is a pretty piece.

"Always"- another soft, acoustic piece. In comparison to "No One Talks," this is a happier song about finding true love.

"Tapestry"- this is a gentle acoustic piece with harp, guitar, and uillean pipes. The song talks about the bits and pieces of stories, singing, and dancing that fit together beautifully into a tapestry. This is one of my favorites on the album.

"Black Night"- soft piece with a guitar and a cello that in an interview Brennan described as the feeling of being alone. One of my favorites.

"Hear My Prayer"- after several soft, lullaby-like songs, Brennan picks up the pace with this song. It is a call to God, asking for Him to bring her back to Him. One of my favorites.

"Never Stray Far Away"- this song sounds like a Clannad piece, especially like "From Your Heart" from their 1996 album "Lore." I'm not sure about the meaning, but it is a pretty song nonetheless.

"Many Faces"- the song opens up with a chant in Gaelic that is repeated throughout the song. It is more upbeat then the other pieces on the album. The song seems to describe perhaps Brennan's depression in the 80's while Clannad was enjoying their new-found fame. It is one of my favorites.

"Hidden Stories"- after some upbeat songs, Brennan returns to the gentle, acoustic piece. The meaning is a bit obscure, but it is a pretty song though not one of my favorites.

"Gone Are the Days"- this song is similar in some ways to Enya's "Na Laetha Geal M'oige" in that it looks back over the happy days of her youth when she lived without a care. It is accompanied by a piano and on occasion a flute. It is almost like a final look back, over the entire album and over Brennan's entire life, a fitting end to the album.

"Pill a Run O"- this song is the only one on the album that is sung entirely in Gaelic and that is a traditional piece. It is not on all releases of "Signature", and so it is harder to find. It is sung acapella with her harp providing the harmony. It is a lovely song and a lovely finish to the album.

In conclusion, I don't know the entire album that well, but nonetheless it is well done. To me, "Two Horizons" wasn't that good, but this is a return to the acoustic style that sets her apart from her sister Enya. I give the album five out of five stars.

Two Political and Economical Thoughts

2009-08-15T14:32:00.002-04:00

Today while I was shopping and running errands, two thoughts came to me that I thought I'd share.

First: The hotly debated healthcare package. Mom and I were standing in line at the tax commissioner's office for 45 minutes, waiting in a loooong line. We were talking, and we both thought, "national healthcare?" One thing that we've noticed is that in places like the post office, the DMV, and here is that there are extremely long lines that take forever to get through. It reminded us that if this healthcare package gets passed, this is what we'll get: more long lines and hours of waiting. Is that really what we want? Especially if there is an emergency and you need immediate attention? I mean, I've already read stories of people dying while waiting for the doctors to see them, but I don't think this bill will help in that regard.

Second, the recession is over? According to the "experts" this week, the recession is over. I beg to disagree. Earlier this week, some dear friends of my family learned that their husband/father was laid off because his company is going down. Also, while I was shopping today, I saw more evidence that it isn't quite over. At both Wal-mart and H-Mart, I noticed much lower prices, especially at Asian food store H-Mart, where there was a huge sale on food. I've tended to notice that if there is a huge sale of unbelievably low prices at any store, that means business isn't doing good. If the recession is over, then there shouldn't be all these stores cutting down prices; cutting prices mean business isn't good.

Those are just two rambling thoughts today.

Chill out, Celtic Woman fans

2009-08-13T13:15:00.002-04:00

I was goofing off on youtube (since my laptop is currently out of commission thanks to the non-working power cord, I get to search youtube freely without it locking up my computer) earlier today on the bedroom computer. I was watching videos from Celtic Woman's "Isle of Hope" tour because, frankly, my current CW collection is old and I needed a dose of some new stuff (though I wish someone had recorded "You'll Be in My Heart" because it's a new favorite and I only heard it once... back in March). Anyway, I started off with "Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears", moving on to "Fields of Gold" (it's growing on me, though I don't think it's Lisa's new "Caledonia" as fans are calling it") and then ending with Mairead's encore (amazing piece by her!). On the encore, I noticed comments that had been given so many negative responses so that they disappeared. From what I can guess, the comments looked like they were from fans who said that they wished CW would go back to Celtic music instead of the pop they did on the recent tour. My first thought was "why in the world do fans take delight in butchering those who disagree with them?" Now, granted, the pop music may have been added as more or less a tribute to Americans, but some of the pop was done by British artists Sting and Phil Collins, not by Americans. Anyway, that aside, I wondered why fans were getting so defensive. I myself have come under attack from fans when someone asked if Chloe had lost weight; I answered that it was probably just the dress she was wearing because with girls of larger size (me included), clothing either fits or it doesn't. I was not making an attack on Chloe or anything of the sort (though I would be more likely to make a polite one against the dress designer in this regard); it was a general comment from my own experience and my post gets shot-down and disappears, though I've yet to delete it. If someone can't speak their own opinion about CW without getting shot down by fans, that tells me there is something seriously wrong with the fanbase.

On a related note, I was watching the video from Meav's solo concert back in December 2007 when I saw more comments from another guy who claims to have inside information from within CW, and my, you should have seen the responses. Fans were leaping all over him, saying that he was lying. One was even bold enough to say that he (or she) posted on the CW forum and that there was no information about such things there. First off, fans are not going to know that one of the singers is getting a divorce or that one of the management is in jail; generally, you don't tell your fanbase that unless it gets out in the news, then it's over. Second, I don't think CW forum is the right place to get your information. I've watched it for some time and have seen the evidence that it's under strict control and that you can't say anything bad about the show or PBS without getting the topic locked or losing your membership there. I myself don't have an opinion on this news and will wait until it's confirmed elsewhere, but I'm not closed to the idea that such things could truly be happening.

All this being said, I still love listening to CW's music, even if I don't agree with the whole commerical showiness, but I love the beautiful music they produce. So before fans jump over me, look at the title of my post. Chill out. Don't rant about me being an idiot because the girls are angels and can do no wrong. Everyone has their faults, and not every singer is going to produce songs that all the fans adore. But that doesn't mean that those people with their own opinions should be shot down for speaking their mind about a group or singer that they like. In regards to the other claims, fans, if you don't think they're true, then ignore them. Slamming them like they did in youtube was very immature and only made them look all defensive about it. So, I repeat to you fans, just chill out. Sit back and enjoy the music for what it's worth, not go hunting anyone else who disagrees with you.

I'll get off my soapbox now.

Story Evolution

2009-08-08T14:14:00.002-04:00

It's amazing in writing a story how you have a character who acts one way and then over time, quite unexpectedly, that character completely changes.

On the Binding of the Blade forum, I joined a story about gladiators in a fantasy world similar to that of the Roman empire. I wrote two characters: a man named Vladisk who hides his emotions well and has a stony face and a woman named Temini who is very emotional. It's interesting now how different they are. Vladisk is in love with another female character, and Temini now has become emotionally and probably mentally unstable, believing that Vladisk was bewitched and that he betrayed her. If you were to look at the original post and meet the two chars, you wouldn't expect them to turn into what they are now... especially just over a period of about a month. It's amazing, and I didn't even plan on it.

Anyway... that was just a random thought of mine.

Corruption of Music Industry

2009-08-04T16:27:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I was on pandora when a song called "Already Gone" by Kelly Clarkson came on, and I was hooked on it. When I looked it up, I discovered that Clarkson had been very unhappy to discover the similarities between "Already Gone" and Beyonce's "Halo." As I listened more closely to the song, I too realized how similar the two songs sounded. Clarkson's producer for that song Ryan Tedders, who had worked with Beyonce as well, denied that the two sounded similar or something to that extent. Then what made me mad was Clarkson telling her record company not to release "Already Gone" as her next single, but they decided to go ahead and do it anyway.

After reading this, it makes me see how corrupt the music industry has become. The artists have little control over what they can release, and producers milk the artists for money and fame. In short, the artists are the "slaves," the ones who do all the work while the producers and the record companies get most of the reward. It reminds me of Clarkson's last album "My December," which received little promotion and no tour because she broke with her producers to do what she wanted. Sadly, that is the way the music industry works: give us what we want you to do, and we'll promote you to the heights; but if you don't do what we want, we'll make you see reason when your album is a flop. It is a sad business, but I fear too many aspiring musicians don't realize the ugly truth until it's too late.

I commend the following artists for forming their own record labels and having the liberty to produce what they want in an honest way: Loreena McKennitt, Anuna, Jars of Clay, and to some extent Hayley Westenra (though she had issues with her recording company recently about promoting herself). To all aspiring musicians and singers, you don't need a big record label and big producers to be famous. Would you rather seek fame in return for slavery to the record companies, or would you be an indie artist with the freedom to perform the music you really want?

The Idiocy of Paleoanthropology

2009-08-03T01:29:00.003-04:00

Thanks to Virginia and Jessy on the Binding of the Blade forum, a new debate has begun: facts vs. faith i.e. evolution vs. creationism. Pretty much, the creationists are getting slammed for not going with the flow and believing in facts, so I decided to do my own research. I went to secular websites and those that promote the idea that man evolved from apes, and I studied up on a few different genuses like homo, paranthropine, and australopithicine. After spending a few days on this research, I have come to a conclusion: paleoanthropologists are idiots. They find a few bits of a skull and then draw an entire creature as being bipedal. Then they can't get their facts straight. Regarding the australopithicine "Lucy" (I was suspicious about the circumstances about the finding, and I was later told that it is a hoax), one website says the complete skeleton was found then a few paragraphs later it says 40% was found. I don't know about you, but there's a big difference between 40% and 100%. And another thing, reading about the different species, it makes me wonder if all these are just a previously undiscovered ape species in several variations to adapt to the environment and not a line of the evolution tree from ape to man.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to get stoned to death by Virginia and Jessy for posting those notes, but, hey, at least I look at the evidence from the source and not just buy into it. Besides, I'll never forget something that Charles Hapgood said. In his book "Maps of the Ancient Sea Kings", he said something to the extent that it often takes an amateur to look at the evidence and point out fallacies that the experts don't see. I think of Berry Fell (who studied fish but decoded the Irish language Ogham on both sides of the Atlantic), Leuwenhook (science was his hobby, and he's considered a master in the science field), and someone else whose name eludes me at the moment (he discovered fossil layers during his hobby of geology), and I think that Hapgood is right. Not that I think I'll change modern thinking about various issues, but I do think that sometimes we don't need to trust the experts but that we need to look at the evidence for ourselves.

Well... that research is done. Now either to research something new (not sure what yet) or go back to writing (more likely). All I know is that I'm tired and that I should be in bed.

A Poem

2009-07-04T14:16:00.002-04:00

I'm not much of a poet, but when the occasion rises, writing a poem is good therapy for me, as it enables me to get out my feelings in a way that novel-writing can't. I dedicate this poem to my closely-knit Cunningham clan back in Georgia and to my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ at Covenant Presbyterian.

There is a bond between us,
A bond that has been grown over time,
A bond that remains over long distances,
A bond stronger than any other in this world.
When you laugh, I laugh.
When you are sad, I am sad.
When you celebrate, I celebrate with you.
When we gather in fellowship,
There is great joy in our midst,
A joy that can only come from above.
We laugh together over events that only we know about.
We rejoice when we learn of expansion.
There is a bond between us,
And none can break it.
We meet together on the Sabbath,
And together we worship our Lord and our God,
The One who brought us into His family.
We meet together on the weekends and holidays,
To talk and eat, to debate current events,
To laugh over our pasts, to talk of more sober issues.
There is a bond between us,
And none can break it.
We come together for special days,
And we enjoy each other’s company for hours,
With no sense of boredom or longing to go home.
We catch each other doing stupid things,
And then we laugh afterwards.
We run up and down the beach,
Enjoying the happy chaos while we can.
We jump in the water and tease each other,
Of beaver sharks and giant catfish.
We gather for a movie,
And we end up pulling pranks instead.
We watch new members join our merry group,
And we rejoice exceedingly.
We gather in reading, singing, and hearing,
All learning and worshipping together.
There is a bond between us,
And none can break it
It is one of God’s greatest gifts;
It is called family.

Whoo!

2009-07-01T09:40:00.002-04:00

As of this morning, I have completed the second draft of Book 2. Granted, it is a piece of disorganized crap and is far from ready to be seen by others except for critiquing purposes. There is still a lot of work to be done, but I've never gotten this far in writing anything! The last chapter was a joy to write, with a battle and then a happy ending with the birth of a child.

I've also decided Book 2's official name (for now): "Waning Silver Moon."

Book Review: "How to Save the World Trilogy"

2009-06-28T12:15:00.003-04:00

This is my first book review that I'll post on the blog. In one sense, it was special to read a published novel by a peer whom I met on-line. I met Nikk Fensterman in 2006 on the Binding of the Blade forum, and though we were not close, we often worked on the same role-playing stories. Because of his aspirations to write a novel, Nikk ceased posting on the forum as frequently and thus I only heard from him when he updated everyone else on his novel. It was exciting to hear that his manuscript was accepted by Tate Publishing and then published earlier this year, even though I have heard that Tate was very dishonest in handling the publishing and charged a fortune for it to happen. That aside, I decided to check out Nikk's book and see how it was. I wish I could be kinder in my review, but I'm afraid it's not possible. Frankly, I was surprised that the story was even accepted for publication. I guess it just goes to show how watered down the quality of books has become, with authors out there like Christopher Paolini and Stephanie Meyer whose books are poorly written yet devoured by thousands of raving fans. But I digress. On to the book review of Nikk's "How to Save the World Trilogy: Twins."

The book is a cross-world fantasy novel, much like CS Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnia." Twin brother and sister Timothy and Taryn Davis are living in a broken home situation and mysteriously have discovered swords and bows/ arrows, which they practice with frequently. One day, they run through the door of their house and then find themselves in the ocean. After climbing out and discovering they are wearing different clothes, they meet the wise old mentor Wyrl (much like Tolkien's Gandalf, Paolini's Brom, or LB Graham's Valzaan) who informs the twins that they are powerful individuals who will bring peace to Kumeria and defeat Argor (Tolkien's Sauron or Graham's Malek, basically Satan) forever. Over time, the twins learn to use the powers El Olam (God) has given them, defeat several enemies, travel long distances, and even find romance.

While the book sounds like the usual epic quest so commonly seen in fantasy, that is exactly what it was. I saw little of Nikk as an individual writer in the story, but I saw more of other fantasy novels than himself. The plagarism was glaring in my mind and angered me greatly. Reading it, I could not help but notice several blatant instances of plagarizing from Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, CS Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnia" series, and LB Graham's "Binding the Blade" series. Lewis was not as blatant, as Nikk shared some of his concepts, though similarities to Tolkien and Graham were strongly there, such as the trip through the mines that is very similar to the Fellowship's journey through the Mines of Moria and several of the names such as Minas Korinth were similar to Tolkien. Nikk merely stuck with the Lord of the Rings formula for his novel and thus showed a severe lack of imagination in this regard, much like Paolini in his "Inheritance Cycle."

Besides the plagarism, another thing that bothered me was the lack of good characterization. I could not tell the characters apart, as they were all the same. They were very inconsistent, with a character supposedly with a stern personality laughing his head off at something, and even with characters switching personalities. Timothy switched from immature to mature, with Taryn in reverse on various occasions. The wise old mentor Gandalf- er, Wyrl was supposed to be wise, yet he led a bunch of inexperienced fighters to kill a terrifying creature in the mines and often gave in to the whims of the teenagers. A similar problem with the characters was their sheer immaturity. Timothy and Taryn are supposed to be seventeen years old, but they acted and were treated like they were thirteen years old. The twins' peers are no different, acting like young teenagers and not like they have an important task to complete to save the world. Lewis' children in "Chronicles of Narnia" were much more mature than Nikk's older teenagers when Lewis wrote them as being much younger than Nikk's.

The prose of the story was no better. It sounded more like someone trying to imitate Tolkien and ending up with a watered-down version of his excellent, well-written prose. Nikk would often say one word than put a dash then a synonym afterwards, which was unnecessary and very distracting. Oftentimes he would say a word like cogg or palm and then not explain it for several pages or not at all, which made the story confusing. The accents of some of the minor characters were hard to understand, and the teens of the fantasy world often used modern words like "wow" or "ok." There were several points in the story where there was an anti-technology (or against killing animals) few sentence sermon that was not subtle and came off as very annoying and not consistent with the characters. There were several inconsistencies in the story like an all-powerful god who doesn't have power against a dragon's talons or Timothy switching from gracefully to ungracefully leaping on and off his horse when he's never ridden before. There was one romance and then a love triangle in the story, but they were the typical cliche and sappy romances and actually quite realistic for the teens' immaturities.

I wish I could have enjoyed the book more, but I fear I could not. I was severely disapppointed that Nikk has fallen into the trap that so many other young fantasy novelists have fallen into: plagarizing Tolkien, showing a lack of imagination, and not taking the time to let their story grow and develop into something that says "this is mine and not a mishmash of other people's ideas." The story, I think has potential, but it needs several more rewrites to get rid of the plagarism and to let Nikk develop his own writing style. The book may be entertaining for some people, but for those who adore Tolkien and hate Paolini, I would not recommend it at all.

I give the book 1/2 star out of 5.

Sparkles Galore

2009-05-23T15:07:00.002-04:00

Once more, this is another Celtic Woman rant of sorts. A few weeks ago, I read the following review of Celtic Womans “Isle of Hope” show in Salt Lake City, Utah.

http://www.sltrib.com/entertainment/ci_12360534

Unlike a die-hard fan, I actually agreed with the review and its criticism of the glam of the show. Compare this review, which was done by an American, to this one done by an Irishman back in 2006:

http://www.greenmanreview.com/live/live_celticwoman_2_18_06.html

Quite a difference. Keep in mind that Celtic Woman is very popular in America but not so in Ireland.

After comparing the two reviews, I wondered if there was a difference in the way the shows had been promoted and if people considered the shows sappy and overdone back in 2005 when they first started touring. Sadly, I was not able to find much information in that arena because all the newspaper articles required me to sign up or pay to view them. It does appear, though, that even in Celtic Woman’s early days when it was hailed as a new Irish phenomena like Riverdance, it did have its own share of fans who did not like them being called “Celtic.” However, especially lately, Celtic Woman has not received very favorable reviews for its renditions of pop music and its lights, dry ice, and choreographed movements, being called sappy or other adjectives that would make fans want to crucify the reviewer. In fact, I’m certain that if any fans stumble upon this blog post that they’re sure to sharpen their knives and accuse me of not knowing what good music is.

Good music. What is good music nowadays? Getting up on stage and singing with backup dancers who provide some backup voices, wearing outrageous costumes, having a bunch of dry ice, and prancing around the stage? It seems this has become the norm if you look at artists like Brittany Spears, Katy Perry, and several hip-hop artists. For American Idol viewers, it would be like Adam Lambert and his performance with Kiss during the finale this week: costumes, lots of lights, and other fancy gadgets. Even though Lambert may be able to sing, must he cover up his talent with layers of fluff? That is what I will call this: fluff, extreme fluff. It is this category that I fear Celtic Woman has fallen heavily into.

Fluff in of itself is not bad always. Sometimes a little bit of fluff can be useful or nice if used in small amounts. I consider Celtic Woman’s original concert to have a little fluff, but it was not distracting and still enabled the audience to focus on the raw (albiet lip-synched) talent of the singers and Mairead’s fiddle playing. Here is a sample of their early talent:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCpajl7UH3w

The singer Meav is in costume (in what fans have called “the mermaid dress”), is walking across the stage throughout the entire song, there are lights that cast a dark, mysterious air over the stage, and whatnot, but the song nonetheless is beautiful and Meav’s passion for it shines through so the audience knows that she is enjoying the singing. There is mild fluff here, but I find it almost negligable because it adds more to the song’s dark atmosphere and fits in perfectly. Now sample the next video, filmed two years later:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6b9xzS_rDo

All six girls are in various costumes, you have fire in the background, and then several choreographed movements done by all six soloists and the choir members. They walk all over the stage, twirling their skirts and smiling the entire time. Granted, this performance is different because it was filmed outside so you cannot use the lights, but I found their Christmas performance (filmed once more at the Helix, where the original show had been filmed) was even more filled with fluff and this time was sickly sweet (hence, why the Christmas DVD is my least favorite). Here is a sample of the Christmas show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKrx-4Awe70

All the girls are in bright-colored costumes (not very Christmas-themed) and are certainly lip-synching to a pre-recorded track because the voices sound identical to those of what comes out of the recording studio. Not only that, but they are constantly moving all over the stage. The rest of the DVD is similar, filled with choreographed movements and fake innocent smiles.

My biggest complaint with the “A New Journey” and “A Christmas Celebration” DVDs is the lack of passion on them. Watch the original TV performance then the other two. On the first one, the singers all seem nervous and stiff, but at least they were singing their hearts out. There may be some more recent performances not that way, but Meav’s fire is gone by “A New Journey” and the entire show she looks stiff and uncomfortable and Lisa shows similar symptoms as well. By “Christmas Celebration,” Lisa is beaming (though it might have been because she was pregnant at the time) while Meav looks exhausted and distracted with no passion to her voice or her movements. I believe the passion on the first show was gone by the second and third shows because of all the extra fluff, all the movements, forced smiles, and everything else. Instead of letting the girls do as they pleased, to add their own take to the songs they chose, they told them “ok, now move here when you sing this line, then skip across the stage as the song ends.” So instead of being individual singers who are free to perform as individuals and to sing as they please, to add passion in their own ways, they become puppets, stiff puppets with no individuality.

I fear I may have gone down a bit of a rabbit trail by critiquing Celtic Woman’s three shows, but it is related to the original topic of too much fluff ruining a show. In the Salt Lake City review about the show, it does not treat Celtic Woman well, however, it does not say that the girls are untalented. I cannot remember if it was this article or another one, but someone said Celtic Woman was sappy but had a lot of talent that was being covered up by lights and fluff. This is exactly the problem: the singers’ raw talent is being covered up by lights, costumes, movements, and fake smiles. The show, while it started off with a good idea back in 2004, has turned into something fake and commerical, lights and gadgets masking the girls’ talents and making them look more like paid puppets instead of individual singers with individual talents and vocal ranges.

While I have only critiqued their DVD performances, their “live” shows on tour are much worse, in my opinion. Even though I have only watched one live show and I was in the way back, I could still tell that it was worse. The lights and choreographed movements were distracting, and just it was one mess. If the fluff had been removed from the show, I would have enjoyed it a lot more, even though I still did not like the song choices, but that is a different issue. If Celtic Woman had stuck to its original recipe of limited fluff and focused more on the singers’ excellent raw talents, then the show would be very different. Different but better, in my opinion.

Needless to say, despite this review that would be considered harsh by fans, I still enjoy Celtic Woman… as a band, not as a show. I enjoy their music, particularly from the performers’ solo CDs and from their first CD and DVD. It is on these CDs that their raw talent and their passion shine through without all the glam, and it is beautiful and enjoyable that way.

Welcome

2009-05-18T15:06:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my new blog. The purpose of this blog is to keep up with my family and friends while I'm away in Houston, Texas over the summer and also for my European trip in September and October later this year. This blog will consist of my musical rants (usually they will be about Irish musicians; you have been forewarned... haha), possibly my novel updates, or just interesting events in my life as they happen. I guess it'll all depend upon whatever mood I'm in and what I feel like writing about.