Reviews

Used to update this page very often. It contains my reviews of movies, albums and games (rated on a 5-star basis).

Do send in your reviews on the new albums, movies, games, etc (anything!). You won't get paid or anything, but your review and name (unless you opt to be anonymous) will be printed here. Your reviews can be in point-form if you wish. Address to send your reviews to: goodwill@letterbox.com.

Movies

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Great cinemagraphy. Grandcenes like the intense Helm's Deep battle and the spectacular flooding of Isengard. Comical moments of Legolas "skating" down the stairs while shooting and Gimli standing behind the fort wall that is too tall for him. Vivid portrayal of the schizophrenic Gollum. The oh-so-beautiful Arwen. What more can you ask for? [*****]

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Many feel that this is better than the first Harry Potter movie, I didn't think so. I felt it was too long. It also deleted certain important details and added some unnecessary ones. It is still a good watch nevertheless. [****]

Gosford Park This is not your regular period drama. With a large cast of vivid characters, you investigate the murder of the host of a hunting party as you delve deeper into their pasts and secrets. Great cast, great script, great directing, great humor. This deserves an Oscar! [****`]

Panic Room A Jodie Foster thriller. She shines throughout the movie as a mother fighting against three intruders. [****]

E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial Heartwarming movie re-released on its 20th anniversary. "ET phone home" still warms everyone's heart after all the remastering. [****]

A Beautiful Mind Brilliant movie that details the imaginary world of confusion in the beautiful mind of the Nobel Prize winning mathematician, John Nash. [****`]

My Sassy Girl A Korean box office. Enjoyable, but would have been more enjoyable if it were shorter. [***`]

Waterboys A Japanese comedy about five guys' light-hearted ordeal to learn synchrochised swimming - a sport predominated by females. Simple and hilarious. [*****]

Amelie [Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amelie Poulain] A French delight - A lighthearted and feel-good story about a girl who sees the world in her own quirky way, and brings happiness to people whom she can help. Breathtaking cinematographic long shots, vivid and mysterious characters, little heartwarming practical jokes throughout the show... Brilliant. [*****]

Big Shot's Funeral [Da4 Wan4] Have been waiting for this show since Faye Wong's last year's album stated that one of the songs is its soundtrack. Also heard excellent reviews that it is a crazy comedy. Probably I had too high expectations, I did not think it very funny at all. Yes, the cast is great and humorous, and the lines are witty, but the show is, on the contrary, quite boring really. [***]

Fat Choi Spirit [Li4 Gu1 Li4 Gu1 Xin1 Nian2 Cai2] A new year comedy with a stellar cast. Quite enjoyable with jokes revolving around the Chinese favorite - mahjong. [***]

Chinese Odyssey 2002 [Tian1 Xia4 Wu2 Shuang1] What can go wrong with the stellar talented cast of Faye Wong, Tony Leung, Zhao Wei and Zhang Zhen? A very funny movie that gets these great stars saying slapstickal lines and doing stupid things. [****`]

Spirited Away A Japanese animation about a girl who lost her way in a strange city where lazy people will be turned into pigs. A truly adult theme with engaging animations and breathtaking cinematography. [***`]

Friends A Korean movie about male bonding between four childhood friends. Joon-suk (Yongshu) was born in a family of gangsters and he naturally became a gangster "boss" who believed that friends are "lifelong companions". He stayed true to his friends even when they did not approve of his life. Despite the several painful pits in his life, he believed that gangsters should have their own integrity and also loyalty to friends. Dong-su (Tongshou) was his "sidesick", who felt inferior because his father was a undertaker. He later joined an opposing gang and lost touch with his friends until he realised the misunderstandings between them, though it was too late. San-taek (Shande) was an honest guy who excelled in studies and kept both feet on the ground. Jong-ho (Zhonghe) was the joker of the group who lived the usual man's life. Four friends, two destinies, but only one choice. The caption really summarises the whole story, how the lives (and deaths) of four good friends affected each other and shaped their destinies. Some went on a path that they could not turn back, while some turned back just in the nick of time (much like the time when they were still childhood friends, and they turned back just in time in the sea to avoid the upcoming drowning tides). A simple story, with simple details that touch the heart. Any guy can easily identify the four characters to be stereotypes of the people around us, and also relate to the complicated emotions of these four people. Flawless acting and artistic cinematography -- A very well-scripted and sincere movie that deserved the box office record in Korea. [*****]

The Others An exciting psychological thriller. Though I guessed the ending, it is truly a touching twist. Absolutely great performance by Nicole Kidman. [****]

Vanilla Sky, R(A) It is intriguing when the confusion between reality and dream of David (Tom Cruise) turned into a nightmare, when the identities of Julie (Cameron Diaz) and Sofia (Penelope Cruz) became mixed up and he was accused for the murder of Julie (or rather, Sophia). The movie is engaging, and probably thought-provoking. However, the answer offered in the end (which is pivotal to the whole movie) is somewhat simplistic and disappointing. [***]

2002 A rather new concept in the Mandarin movie genre to combine ghost encounters and special effects, with philosophy, great (looking) cast and a good lot of twists all rolled in. Stars Nicholas Tse, Stephen Fung, Li Caihua and Anita. [***`]

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring A perfect and long-awaited rendition of the first volume of the epic fantasy. As I have read the book too long ago, I am not sure if the details have been followed closely, but I am positive that the movie is loyal to the original storyline, only the sequence of events have been altered to make the 165-min movie more flowing and action-packed. Characters like Frodo, Gandalf, Sam, Pippin, Merry, Bilbo, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Boromir, Saruman, Sauron, Gollum, Galadriel, Elrond and Arwen have all been vividly and accurately portrayed. (Balrog looks exactly like Diablo.) Wonderful cinematography plus sound and special effects. Even my friend who has never read the book liked it. An epic must-watch, for an epic must-read. [****`]

Ocean's Eleven Robbing the casino can be so fun! Boasting the star-studded cast of George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Andy Garcia, Matt Damon and Julia Roberts, then bundling that with well-sequenced editing and humor, this light-hearted movie is simply a joyride. [***`]

Monsters, Inc Enjoyable animation with great special effects and a well-meaning plot. The door-jumping sequence near the end is both exciting and innovative. [****]

Durian Durian [Liu2 Lian2 Piao1 Piao1] The movie that won Best Film (Fruit Chan) and Best Actress (Qin Hailu) in the Golden Horse Awards 2001. While watching the show, just let your feelings flow, and you will appreciate the film better, with its contrasting cinematography (the snowy white and sleazy red) and comfortable acting (none of the actors is a professional). A good movie, but I wonder if it is worthy of the award (I haven't watched all the other contesting movies.) [***`]

Peony Pavilion [You2 Yuan2 Jing1 Meng4] A critically-acclaimed lesbian-themed movie, with comparatively good acting from Gongze Lihui, over-acting from Joey Wong (she probably hoped to win some awards from this) and Daniel Wu as the cheap nude-model, a small role that doesn't require much acting. The movie is far too long, and the opera-singing gets very irritating after a while. [**]

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Besides slight changes and omissions, this movie is very true to the book. Though 2.5 hours are a bit too long for children, the showis able to sustain interests and is full of memorable classic scenes. The Quidditch match, for example, was exciting and spectacular with its "swooping" special effects. [****]

Moulin Rouge Excellent musical: beautiful, glamorous, and expect fantastic music from Nirvana, Beck, Madonna and the likes. The emotions of "Come What May" by Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman will set your tear ducts to work. Do not expect a Sound of Music. [****`]

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within A brilliant movie - one that is a milestone in movie history. With computer-generated human that look so real they almost look like real persons (Gray Edwards looks like Ben Affleck in fact, and, just look at Aki Ross' hair!!) and great cinematography, you almost forget about how dubious the plot may be (I shall not delve too much into this as that would give away too many details). Everything about the movie is so meticulously done (the blemishes on Aki's face, the sound effects, Neil's jokes, the touching side-plot between Jane and Neil) that I cannot bear to find fault with it. Unmissable. [****`]

Pearl Habor The first hour was bland and boring but it got better later when action starts. Still, the whole movie is too long and the romance is not the least developed at all. The special effects are spectacular, but this movie will not be remembered, except for its great budget. [***]

Bichunmoo This Korean swordfighting tragedy was very well-received in Korea. In fact, if dubbed in Mandarin, it could easily pass off as a very good Chinese movie. Like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, this movie has great cinematography and graceful swordfighting moves, but Bichunmoo has much more bloodsheds. The plot is thick with several well-developed characters, but it is almost too melodramatic. [***`]

Mummy Returns, The A good follow-up to the original Mummy with more special effects and self-mocking moments. Very entertaining. [***`]

Dancer in the Dark It is no wonder that this film won the Best Film and Best Actress in the Cannes, even though some people hated it. To be frank, I thought I was going to hate it too in the first five minutes with the shaky camera and clumsy editing, but after those five minutes, I began to find that there is a strange ironic flow in the awkward editing. Bjork is marvellous in her role as the blind factory worker Selma who works day and night so as to earn enough for an operation that will cure his son of a family eye disease that was making herself blind. Selma was sentenced to death for killing the man who stole her hard-earned money and who asked her to kill him as he was tired of living. Dark. Yes, this film is dark. Though according to Selma, nothing bad ever happens in a musical, this musical is anti-anything-good-about-this-world and is definitely deep in dark tragedy weaved around ingenious melodies from the goddess herself. Selma could imagine herself in joyous musicals at the slightest hint of noise, from the factory machines to the gushing pipes, she endured the pains she was going through by escaping into her musical world (since she could not see) - the songs of desperation and hopelessness are so heartfelt, and Bjork's facial expressions are so natural and strong - I cannot imagine anyone else who can do the role better than her. [****`]

Mexican, The Quite boring, really. No, this is not a romantic comedy despite its feel-good packaging and trailers. It is, simply put, too bland to be an enjoyable movie. Yes, it is nice to see Julia Roberts shouting into the phone and handsome Brad Pitt going everywhere to hunt down a gun (called The Mexican), but there are just too few laughs and excitement to last through the (seemingly long) two hours. [***]

Snatch Wacky "alternative" shots, fast-paced and enjoyable, a clever piece of dessert with Brad Pitt in it. It should have been R(A) so that there need not be any censored parts... there are still so much vulgarities and violence in the censored version anyway. [***`]

Cast Away Great acting and great script. But such how-he-survived-on-deserted-island plot is nothing refreshing and is no longing inspiring. You won't fall asleep because it is indeed a good film, but you won't miss anything by not watching it. [***`]

Billy Elliot Possibly the best film of the year. Jamie Bell is an excellent dancer and actor, his facial expressions and body language tells everything he wishes to say. With a simple story and several touching moments, this film feels like a stage play that gets dramatic at times yet this is not deliberate or exaggerating. You will laugh and cry at various scenes as you see the making of the ballet genius against all odds. [****`]

Chocolat A delightful comedy that is so silently comical. With a great supporting cast (Johnny Depp, Judi Dench, 'Matrix' Carrie-Ann Moss, Alfred Molina), Juliette Binoche brings out the fairy-tale-style story about how her chocolates and her chocolaterie changed the lives of many people in a small town. Each small characters makes up the story, and each individual is so vivid, making this movie a sweet, simple dessert. If not because there was a Pleasantville, this film would have earned a higher rating. Juliette is a great actress no doubt - I am a fan of hers - but this movie is definitely not her best. [***`]

Pay It Forward Indeed, Haley Joel Osment gave a performance that almost outshone the professionals like his scarred teacher Kevin Spacey and drunkard mother Helen Hunt. Supported by a strong cameo cast that links everything together, this movie proves to be the old-fashioned touching drama, that preaches to the world to pass on the kindness that you have received and that you can offer. If not for the involved acting, this movie would have been extremely boring. And I can't help but to be skeptical when even giving up seats is already a difficult task. [***`]

"Fleeing By Night" (Ye4 Ben1), R(A) This is a story of two men and one woman falling in love with one same man. It may sound corny, but this film is anything but that. The complex emotions of the characters have been explored with the help of detailed events, giving the film its depth that is seldom seen in movies these days. With great cinematography, powerful cast, elaborate setting, poetic lines and dramatic turns, this movie may seem unreal at times, but don't unreal things sometimes happen in our real world? [****]

Quills, R(A) A film with really strong violence and sexual contents. The story of Marquis de Sade (Geoffrey Rush, who has gone full monty in several scenes) is told with fictional twists that greatly dramatised the movie experience. Together with other brilliant actors like Joaquin Phoenix, Kate Winslet and Amelia Warner, this film is madly enjoyable, with witty lines and humorous perversity and eroticism. A lot of visual effects (colors, tones, etc) have been used for the setting of the mood in the movie. Nudity, blood and severed heads can be seen in many scenes to give it the worthy R label. [****]

The 6th Day A brainless action movie this is not. Instead it goes deep into the serious issue of human cloning and its implications. Arnold's acting is still as bad, but the movie is undeniably enjoyable and thought-invoking. [***]

"Gen-Y Cops" (Te4 Jing3 Xing1 Ren2 Lei4 2) While Gen-X Cops was a brilliant thriller, Gen-Y Cops is trash. To put it plainly, we are just paying the ticket to watch the actors having helluva fun. Unless you feel like watching a brainless thriller that is not even thrilling, or you are a fan of one of the handsome guys or Maggie Q, this is not worth your precious time. [*]

Unbreakable My friend thought the film experience was unbearable. Indeed it was. The movie is rather boring throughout, and the final twist that the advertisers promised is not as clever as expected. This film is in many ways similar to The Sixth Sense but in every way worse. [**`]

Charlie's Angels Nice babe-watching action flick. Throughout the movie, you get to see Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu in all sorts of costumes from Japanese doll-dresses to the bare minimum. With a blasting soundtrack and such a babelicious cast, who needs brains or plots? [***]

"My Father and Mother" (Wo3 De Fu4 Qin Mu3 Qin) Not a scene of kissing or hugging, but this love story of the narrator's parents is more intense than the usual (draggy) romance tales. The story is simple with several memorable moments and the movie is heartwrenching with its beautiful soundtrack and cinematography. Zhang Yimou again uses the contrast of colors to express the emotions of the characters (the red cloth, the white snow, the scenes of the present time shot in monochrome). This is Zhang Ziyi's first movie, and it's a wonder she wasn't nominated for any award for this. [****]

"Time and Tide" (Shun4 Liu2 Ni4 Liu2) Starring Nicholas Tse and Wu Bai, this Tsui Hark movie is better than I expected, with some Matrix moments, lots of exciting action, and a simple plot. Action scenes are very well-sequenced, and there is a right dose of humor. [***]

"In The Mood For Love" (Hua1 Yang4 Nian2 Hua2) With so much hype about this movie and the stellar cast of Tony and Maggie, it's hard to watch it without rather high expectations. This Wong Kar Wai movie is the most "easily-digestible" one to date, with the usual simple plot but meticulous details that emphasizes on mood and depth. Everything from the color, setting, lighting, costumes, etc fits together to form the exciting backdrop that hints the guilt and thrills of the awkward relationship that developed between two people whose spouses have been secretly seeing each other. [***`]

"Okinawa Rendez-vous" (Lian4 Zhan4 Chong1 Sheng2) A very "summer" alternative movie revolving around Faye Wong, Tony Leung, Leslie Cheung and Li Zi. The movie starts with a mess of intertwining relationships and touchy situations, and ends with a perfect ending that wraps up everything so very nicely. Wonderful script and cameraship, though many parts remind me of Chungking Express. [***`]

"The Duel" (Jue2 Zhan4 Zi3 Jin4 Zhi1 Dian1) A swordfighting movie with slapstaicks and beautiful faces. Boasting a babelicious (or hunkalicious) cast of Andy Lau, Ekin Cheng, Zhang Jiahui, Zhao Wei (she never looked so beautiful), Yang Gongru and she-makes-me-drool Tian Xin, this movie has a credible plot and nice cinematography. Watchable. [**`]

"Twelve Nights" (12 Ye4) A contemporary love tale about the 12 nights spent between newcomers Zhang Bozhi and Chen Yixun. Beautifully and artfully shot, this movie details the ups and downs in the love life of the couple, as it discusses issues involved in a relationship, from male chauvinism to female vanity. Cameo appearances by Zheng Zhongji, Nicholas Tse and Feng Delun. [***`]

Hollow Man An exciting thriller that promises intense action and stunning special effects. But not very convincing. The reason why Kevin Bacon (the invisible Hollow Man) went on a killing spree was rather lame, and how the adulterous Elisabeth Shue and Josh Brolin could emerge so righteously as the "winners" in the end is discomforting. Some scenes can be disturbing (the squashed rat at the start), and the nude scenes are rather unnecessary. Watch it only for the action and effects. [***]

"And I Hate You So" (Xiao3 Qin1 Qin1) A hilarious romantic comedy, with the sizzling "leading couple" Aaron Kwok and Chen Huiling, and the extremely funny "supporting couple" Zeng Zhiwei and Mao Shunjun. While there is nothing original about the plot, the movie is extremely entertaining, with heartwarming jokes that will be enjoyed by everyone. [***`]

"Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" (Wo4 Hu3 Cang2 Long2) Many people didn't like this movie as they thought it was too boring. I didn't think so. In fact, I thought it is a very new concept, by filming swordfighting scenes in such a poetic and beautiful way, with the background of powerful cinematography, this movie is almost one of its kind. Boasting the stellar cast of Chow Yun-Fatt, Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi, there is no qualms about their acting skills, except that Michelle's Mandarin is h-o-r-r-i-b-l-e. She is unable to deliver her lines with feelings and that is really the greatest letdown in the whole show! [****]

Frequency This is the product by successfully mingling a murder thriller with sci-fi imagination, and I liked it even though I thought the happy ending was rather cornyly 'Hollywood'. My friends also pointed out some loopholes. In any case, it was really very enjoyable and rather heartwarming. There was simple and down-to-earth acting by Dennis Quaid, James Caviezel and Elizabeth Mitchell, which helped to tone down the otherwise over-dramatic story. [***`]

Mission: Impossible 2 Even the extremely charming Tom Cruise couldn't make it possible for this movie to be a success. With a thin plot, little innovation and several weak stereotypic characters, you can almost fall asleep since there wasn't even much action either. Very disappointing. [**]

Titan A.E. Wasn't expecting much when I went to see it but it was overwhelmed me. With such innovative beautiful realms of the Hydrogen Forest (with hydrogen trees) and the Ice Ring (with ice-spiked mirrorballs), and the colorful graphics that reminds you of super-high-resolution game senarios, this animation is a winner perfected with hip soundtracks and all. Features voices of Matt Damon, Drew Barrymore, etc. [****]

Final Destination One of the best thrillers in the recent years since the Scream series. Though the plot is simple (and rather over-used already), there is constant tension throughout the show to make some of us grip to our chairs; several girls were screaming at some points when I was watching it. You can play a game of how-the-next-one's-gonna-die while you're watching, though sometimes it's totally unpredictable. The female lead, Ali Larter, is a charmer. [***`]

Gladiator Violence plus heavyweight acting. But I thought I felt a sense of deja vu, from 'Hamlet' to 'Joan of Arc' and 'Braveheart', even though I have to admit that the story of Maximus was very well-told, the grand scenes have been filmed very majestically (heard the crowd was computer generated), and the fighting parts have been very exciting. [***`]

Dinosaur Seldom does a Walt Disney animation not have a theme song. That probably explains the slight monotony and why my friend fell asleep near the start of the movie. It's not exactly boring, but it is rather short of dialogue to make the show more engaging. It has a simple plot, breathtaking computer-generated cinematography and an expected happy ending. The fighting scenes between the dinosuars were indeed very exciting, but I still feel the show suits children better. [***]

End of the Affair, The, R(A) Julianne Moore and Ralph Fiennes are excellent in this intricate tale of love and hate. There is also commendable cinematography in the rainy scenes and the charming sunsets. The story is simple yet there are such deep and thought-provoking emotions in this unacceptable adultery. However this adaption of Graham Green's novel is slightly too short, the characters could have been further developed. [***`]

Man on the Moon Yes, all the hype about the movie featuring Jim Carrey's best performance ever, is true. His portrayal of the eccentric Andy Kaufman is very convincing and extremely touching. Despite being a comedy, many people cried at the end when he finally died of lung cancer (and nobody really believed it till his end, even his family). Very entertaining, very unique start, and very meticulous treatment by the director Milos Forman, who gave so much life and dimensions to the much misunderstood Andy Kaufman. [****]

American Beauty, R(A) It's been a long time since an honest piece of work like this has hit our big screens. This is a masterpiece about dysfunctional families, told in a comedy-manner yet it does not trivialise the serious issues involved, in fact some of the details are so cruelly sarcastic and ironical. Every single character in the story is so rich and worthy of our sympathy, and they are so 'us' if you come to think of it. Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Wes Bently, Mena Suvari, Peter Gallagher, Chris Cooper, Allison Janey... their relationships are so intricately intertwined and twisted. Everyone in this fantastic cast (I can almost claim this is the Best Cast Ever in movie history) is indespenable, and everyone of the roles builds up to the final tragedy. The fantasies of a 'loser', the woman who tries so hard to be the stronger person she is not, the insecurities of a beautiful model, the suppression of the marine's son (and the marine himself), ... It's no wonder it's earned 8 Oscar nominations, and I believe it will win Best Picture, Original Screenplay and Original Score, and Kevin Spacey might even win Best Actor if he's lucky. Also noteworthy are the songs used in the background, as they range from Lenny Kravitz and Gomez to the heartwrenching 'Don't Let It Bring You Down' by Annie Lennox. Unmissable classic. [*****]

Magnolia, R(A) Involving over ten main characters, the story spans over three hours to tell the lives of these suppressed people. Julianne Moore should have got an Oscar nomination for her performance as the 'unfaithful' and guilt-stricken wife who has to watch her husband die. With two cancer patients, a girl who takes drugs and hates her father, a child prodigy who is tired of being treated like a 'toy', an ex-child-prodigy who is desperate to get braces, the sexy Tom Cruise, an inferior police officer,... you could be utterly confused for the first hour but you will start to feel the ironies later on as the story unravels. The emotions and tensions build up to the final scene of raining frogs when the impossible has finally happened. (I wonder how many frogs they have killed in filming this, or was the scene completely computer-generated?) Several nice songs by Aimee Mann. (See 'Albums' section for review of the soundtrack.) [****]

Story of Us, The This well-scripted movie about the struggles a couple has to go through to maintain a withering marriage, touches us with its simplicity despite the slight drag at the start, though towards the end you would hope that the 1.5-hr movie could have been longer. Forget about all the trash Bruce Willis has done in the past: there were the most honest and touching performances by Bruce Willis and Michelle Pfeiffer. The solo sputterings of Michelle at the end will reduce everyone to tears. Watch it with your (future) spouse. [***`]

Green Mile, The It is over three hours long, but I never felt the length, and I didn't even fidget on my seat although I watched it on the hard-and-straight PS seats, because the movie is so well-paced and captivating. Michael Duncan deserves his Best Supporting Actor nomination as the miracle-maker John Coffey, and Doug Hutchison is perfect as the detestable Percy Wetmore. Tom Hanks delivers his usual brilliance as Paul Edgecomb, and he seems to dim in contrast to the above mentioned. Jokes are frequent throughout the show, and there are some disturbing scenes too (you get to see a person literally 'fried' and 'on fire' on the electrocuting chair). The seamless script builds up to the final emotional scene where there is no more a clear line between right and wrong, life and death. This movie definitely deserves a nomination as the Best Picture, but just like the Best Supporting Actor nomination, it is just too 'light-weight' to win the favors of the Oscars. [****]

Boys Don't Cry, R(A) The first hour is rather slow, but the show gets very emotional and engaging later, when the story of 'girl-dressed-as-boy' Hilary Swank (her appearance is a mix of Julia Roberts and Matt Damon) and the beautiful Chloe Sevigny turns tragic. The story is told matter-of-factly and gracefully meticulously, but one thing I wasn't very happy about the show is that little about her earlier life is told in the movie. Hilary shines throughout the show with her convincing facial expressions and body language, and she definitely deserves an Oscar win in the Best Actress category. [***`]

Whole Nine Yards, The Very nice comedy, though there were many corny slapsticks, and Matthew Perry was such a clown (so 'Chandler'...). Bruce Willis was charmingly humorous, and Natasha Henstridge was unbelievably beautiful, unlike her past gruesome acts in the Species series. Amanda Peet was also bimbo-ingly funny in her role who aspires to be a contract killer. Definitely brights up your day on a moody afternoon. [***]

Holy Smoke, R(A) The opening was impressive, but this good impression only lasts for a while, except for the occasional nice sceneries. Kate Winslet stars here with her weakest performance ever, since the powerful performances in 'Sense & Sensibility', 'Heavenly Creatures' and 'Titanic'. The plot is thin: Harvey Keitel is portrayed like a horny lecher, and Kate Winslet the girl who strips to boost the box office. It was really like a 'smoking' (army jargon) session. [**]

Flawless, R(A) The chemistry between the two 'abnormal people', Robert de Niro and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, is heavenly. It's a simple plot that touches your heart, and probably make you start thinking about the misfits in our society. Issues of homosexuality and that of the differently-abled have been dealt with in a most casual seriousness. I wonder why reviews about this movie hasn't been encouraging. Probably because I have a soft spot for indies, I recommend this movie. [***`]

Beach, The The concept is good. The scenery is mesmerising. Too bad there wasn't sufficient characterisation and focus. Leonardo DiCaprio stars here with his weakest performance ever, compared to his powerful performances in 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape', 'A Boy's Life', 'Basketball Diaries' and 'Titanic'. Still the movie is a pleasure to watch, with appropriate thrills and jokes. Just that it could have been better. [***]

Joan of Arc I thought this movie is just another trash, but it is not. I have heard that Milla Jovovich was a great miscast as she is too 'weak', but I didn't think that is true. The story mocks faith when it is ironically deeply rooted in the issue of faith, though at times the mocking part becomes too corny (as my friend feels). This is not a war movie. It is not another 'Braveheart' either, but the war scenes and the stirring emotions are very well built-up with the backing of a suitably good soundtrack. The movie leaves you with a mixed feeling after the show, though mostly bitter. [***`]

Three Kings I was having a headache, so maybe that has affected me in my judgment of this movie. It was definitely refreshing, with its new-age treatment everywhere: the slow-mo of the bullets penetrating the human bodies and reaching the organs is a horrifying example. Many hilarious jokes, though some of them are rather 'deep' (the 'salon' joke was about 'salaam' which means 'peace'). Do expect some dosage of gore and disgust, and witness the several ways the director has tried to show death in different angles. One of the critically-acclaimed movies, but I thought it was too 'dry'. [***]

Angela's Ashes Poverty. This tragicomedy is all about poverty and life (and for the most part, death) in Limerick in the '30s. "If God were born in Limerick, he would have got a consumption," so says Frank McCourt, the autobiographical star of the 145-minute movie. Brilliant acting that came from Joe Breen, Ciaran Owens and Michael Legge, who shared the role of Frank, almost surpassed that from Emily Watson's Angela and Robert Carlyle's Malachy. You will never feel that the movie is boring as it seldom stays at one scene for too long: it always surprises you with a joke or tragic incident and then moves on. Memorable jokes include the theory that doctors won't fart before a dying child, Frank's 'confessions' and questions about whether he should wash the backyard with holy water or normal water, etc. Scenes of Frank licking clean a piece of newspaper after gracing the chips, of his disappointment when mother (Angela) went up to the landlord's while he laid on the bed with a nosebleed waiting for his mother's consolation after he'd fought him for the family, of the blue babies that died in the harsh conditions in the forever-raining Limerick, of Frank's confused love for his parents (mother who sacrificed herself to the landlord for food and lodging, and the alcoholic father who is forever trying so hard to find a job), of the 'rubber-tyre-shoes, of Aunt Aggie, etc, are all vivid pictures that the brilliant director Alan Parker has imprinted on our minds. Complex characterisation and superb cinematography penetrates the whole movie. And you will feel the sense of relief when it finally stopped raining in the last scene as Frank stood under the clear (yet still grey) skies of Limerick. [****]

Random Hearts This movie is overly-long. As the plot is rather thin, the whole show becomes a drag and it can be very boring for those who are slightly less patient. Harrison Ford and Kristin Scott Thomas are marvellous actors but they didn't display their acting throughout the show. However, there were several memorable lines ("Don't say the word [F---] if you don't like it"; "Running into you is my best Christmas present"), and the movie did stir up some discussion among my friends afterwards. [**`]

Music of the Heart Who can doubt Merryl Streep's acting? She is marvellous as Roberta the violin teacher and she deserves an Oscar nomination for her performance. Boasting not only the beautiful soundtrack, you can also expect cameo appearances by several famous violin masters (there is Itzhak Perlman, and also that black violinist who always appears in Yanni's music concerts). However, the movie may be too dramatic (what's new?) and it is very similar to 'Mr Holland's Opus'. [***`]

Stuart Little It is an enjoyable show with extremely cute little mouse. But it is also very much a 'children' movie. I almost fell asleep halfway when I got tired of the 'kiddy' (not 'childish') jokes. Age is probably catching up on me... [**`]

Anna and The King Chow Yun-Fat is charismatic and radiant as the Siamese king, and Jodie Foster is firm as the English teacher. The rich story is further enhanced by the subplot of Tuptim (Bai Ling), with a soundtrack which backs up the beautiful cinematography. Some people felt that it was too long, but I didn't feel it. [***`]

"Gen-X Cops" (Te4 Jing3 Xing1 Ren2 Lei4) Starring the 'young ones' like Xie Tingfeng, Feng Delun, Li Canrong ('Made In Hong Kong'), Daniel Wu Yanzu, Nakamura Toru, etc, this movie feautures nothing new. The plot is not exactly attractive either. But the whole movie is well-paced and it is quite an exciting piece as a thriller. [***]

"Ordinary Heroes" (Qian1 Yan2 Wan4 Yu3) So boring. Wonder how it won for Best Film and Best Actress... [**]

Run Lola Run (Lola Rennt) Extremely fast-paced and well scripted, supported by the most powerful and pulsating soundtrack, this movie is a brilliant piece, starring Franka Potente (in both movie and vocals). Using contrasting colors (Lola's red hair, the red phone, the red bag, the green bag, the green pants, etc) and sound effects (Lola's three different earth-shaking screechs), and putting together several filming techniques, the 80-minute movie leaves no time for an idle breath. It remarks on the randomness of life, in which every single detail could have brought about a totally different outcome in many seemingly-unrelated events. [****]

End of Days Don't expect logic or try to understand how Arnold Schwarzenegger survives every time in the face of Satan. This is quite an above-average action movie, with good visual effects, excessive violence and brief nudity. [***]

Toy Story 2 This is better than the first. With the addition of Jesse (and her most animated yet 'humane' expressions) and other characters, the meaningful subplot about Jesse and Emily, the hilarious Barbie dancing, the adventures interlinked (so that the excitement never stops), and the most touching soundtrack by the likes of Sarah McLachlan, this sequel far surpasses 'Toy Story', which was already an excellent animation. It's real fun with real depth although it is just a cartoon. [****`]

"Purple Storm" (Zi3 Yu3 Feng1 Bao4) One of the better Mandarin thrillers. Starring the handsome newcomer Daniel Wu (who has so few expression variations), this movie has a feasible plot but an extremely weak characterisation. Characters like that of Joan Chen, Li Qihong and Josephine "oh-so-chio" Ho are almost dispensable although all of them delivered good acting. I thought their characters could have gone deeper than that. Emil Chau has one of his best roles to date but the movie did not characterise him deep enough too. As is common in thrillers, some parts are unbelieveable (can men run faster than the toxic gas?). Also, the effects are not really well-edited, and the cut-and-paste is quite obvious. However, despite all the above (which I am really just trying to be critical), the movie is tightly-sequenced and to-the-point, with no subplots to distract you. The whole story is told in a totally linear fashion, so that the excitement never stops. [****]

Asterix and Obelix Take On Caesar (Asterix et Obelix contre Cesar) When you don't feel like thinking too much, go watch this cartoon-oriented movie which boasts Roberto Benigni as the loveable villian Detritus. Slapsticks can be expected, but aren't they just what present movies are lacking? Pure, innocent entertainment? [**`]

An Ideal Husband Brilliant cast of Cate Blanchet, Jeremy Northam, Julianne Moore, Rupert Everett and Minnie Driver. A single flinch or frown is sufficient to set the whole theatre laughing. The lines are extremely witty and humorous. An extremely pleasant and feel-good Victorian comedy with a predictable happy ending. [***]

Fight Club, R(A) There is an animal in everyone of us. Boasting a powerful cast of Brad Pitt, Edward Norton and Helena Bonham Carter (and maybe the grotesque Meat Loaf), this breathtaking film deserves an Oscar for creating such an honest and exciting screenplay, and making the original novel come to life. (Helena deserves the Best Actress in a Supporting Role.) The kewl new-age direction, the fast pace, the quick-shifting shots, the tone of the scenes, the roguish soundtrack, the dilemma of the characters, the suppressing anger and meaningless violence that is growing everywhere in everyone, the surprise ending (though may be predictable if you have been observant)... all make this movie one of the best thrillers in this millenium. Seldom does a violent (and disturbing) thriller convey an anti-violence message so vividly. Be warned, some scenes may be discomforting. Also, do remember to breathe. Lastly, try not to blink if you can (as the scenes change so quickly), and watch out for the last scene (lasting only for a split of a split second) just before the credits. [****`]

James Bond: The World Is Not Enough You'll probably sleep through most of the show. James Bond has less gadgets and less glamorous babes. Though the two female leads are beautiful (and it was much a waste to let the 'hot-air-balloon-babe' die at the start), this 19th Bond show is not thrilling enough to make it sufficiently engaging. [**]

The Ring II (Rasen) Zillion miles different from 'The Ring', this is pure trash. [`]

Eyes Wide Shut, R(A) This is an extremely disturbing movie. With many disconnected shots and subplots, it all builds up to the disillusionisation of Tom Cruise after he heard the confession of his wife Nicole Kidman, when what she said could have been said in revenge after she saw him flirting with some girls at a party. Stretching nearly three hours, the movie can be boring if you lost your concentration at some points. However, there are some hilarious moments, and there are some parts where you'll find yourself holding on to your seats in suspense. Yes, you get to see Nicole Kidman naked - in many parts in fact - and also nude scenes of many other women. But this is definitely not an erotic movie. In fact sometimes it pains you to see the nudity. Stanley Kubrick has succeeded in combining such disturbing images, the stark setting, the monotonous music, etc to create the unsettling mood of the movie. So much said, the interpretation of the movie is open-ended. I do not wish to discuss the plot further here as some of you may want to watch the movie and any discussion will affect your interpretation. One more point to add: the soundtrack is brilliant. Though comprising of only two notes (E and F, and an occasional A), it perfectly reflects the chaos within the characters. When the music is supposed to be 'deterministic', alternating between the two notes at a fixed tempo, a sudden octave jump or an accent is enough to get the whole monotonous pattern into chaos and make you jump from your seat. Buy the soundtrack if you wish to prove that you're brave, and I can assure you endless sleepless nights. [****]

Sixth Sense, The This movie has one of the best twists in movie history, and the twist (which only took up the last 5 minutes) changes the perspective of the whole movie. Yet everything fits in so perfectly and there cannot be a better way to end the story!! Tiptop performances by Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment and the supporting casts can be expected. Just the right (not excessive) dose of horror and gore are there. Emotions are aplenty, and the plot is seamless, without any distracting subplots. Cinematography is excellent, camerawork is professionally done. That is exactly the ideal formula for a successful Hollywood movie! And it is indeed! It's the type of movie that will keep you thinking about it after that. Don't worry, you will not have insomnia like 'The Ring' did to you. You will leave the theatre feeling heartwarmed, and heartbroken, with probably some tears at the corners of your eyes... [****]

10 Things I Hate About You Adapted from Shakespeare's 'Taming of the Shrew', this is probably the best teenage Bard-adapted movie so far. Starring cool babes and dudes like Julia Stiles and Heather Ledger, the whole movie is feel-good and features an excellent pulsating soundtrack. The plot is simple and predictable but well-delivered. Many crude and sexually-arousing jokes, and many really funny moments. Very tempted to give it a higher rating, but it is afterall a teenage movie... [***`]

The Ring (Rin) An excellent horror film. There is not much of the visual scare (like those in Hollywood movies) --- there is not a single scene of gore or blood, but it is very much a psychological scare --- it is so successful in making people want to know the truth behind all the deaths, as we count down together with the female protagonist to her Day of Doom. The twisted fates of the unappeased spirits, the disturbing shots in the video clip, the sound effects... all add up to make this low-budgeted movie a sleeper hit. I shall not say further as that would spoil your pleasure in the movie if you wish to watch it. Just watch it. [****]

Walk on the Moon, A A story of a young woman (Diane Lane as Pearl) having an affair with the 'Blouse Man' (Viggo Mortenson as Jerome Walker) as her husband (Bobby Boriello as Daniel) spent most of his time in town, repairing televisions, and is really just such a boring 'squarehead'. The frustration of Pearl can be understood, yet the rage of Daniel is justifiable. Also, when Pearl's daughter (Anna Paquin as Alison) found out about her mother's affair and reflected on her own relationship with a young guy in school, her feeling of shame and caution just haunted her constantly. Such is the dilemma faced by the characters in this almost morose story. Though there is a beautiful 'Hollywood' ending, the audience still feel disturbed by it, as the characters will most probably not live happily ever after. [****]

William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream A most delightful Shakespearean comedy directed by Michael Hoffman. Engaging soundtrack, beautiful colors, and vivid characters. Although it's totally in a rather high-sounding Shakespearean language, audience will soon get accustomed to it and laugh heartily with the spontaneous jokes. Acting is wonderful, with veterans like Kevin Kline (as the comedic Bottom), Calista Flockhart (as the 'feminist' Helena), Anna Friel (as the confused Hermia), Christian Bale (as Demetrius), Dominic West (as Lysander), the beloved Everett Rupert (as Oberon) and Michelle Pfeiffer (as Tatania). No one will sleep on this. And you will feel extremely romantic and sweet after the movie. Oh, spite! Oh, hell! [***`]

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me Probably the first of the series was too funny and witty, this sequel seems to dim compared to its predecessor. Though it added new characters (Felicity Shagwell, Robbin Swallows, Mini Me, Fat Bastard, etc), some advancement in the story (Dr Evil went to bed with Frau Farbissina, *puke*) and some more classic crude jokes (where I learnt the various names for the male organ, and not forgetting, the "LASER"), it gets rather stale and boring after a while. Jokes are simply not as packed as in 'International Man of Mystery', yet they are not less funny. Afterall, Mike Myers is a funny man. And I still look forward to the next sequel. [***]

Mummy, The It is really very, very much better than what I thought. Suspense scenes are well-done with background music that adds brilliantly to their effects. There is no acting. And it is undeniably a mindless flick. But it is a great entertaining movie, with excellent special effects (that are beautiful artistically), ugly creatures (not extremely ugly though, compared to the computer games we're playing now) and nice shots of the ancient Egyptian cities. There is also suitable humour throughout the show to lighten your tension, and be prepared for some sudden loud bangs. Some people in the cinema were so scared that they screamed at some stages. [***`]

Star Wars: Episode One - The Phantom Menace This is one movie which will still break the box office records despite a thousands reviews that may condemn it. Anyway this movie is impressive, in its grand war scenes which blends real characters with computer-generated ones, and there is indeed great artwork in the creation of Gungars (Jar Jar Binks) and the other creatures. There is however little characterisation. Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) is dead before you even know him well, Darth Maul appears only in two or three scenes, and Amidala is like a walking vase, though her costumes are undeniably gorgeously designed (according to the creators she is supposed to be able to slip away from her costumes when her back's facing you). The first hour is extremely boring, so much so that the hilarious Jar Jar and Watto aren't enough to liven up the monotony. But as the war begins, it gets more exciting, and the excitement stretches till the end. [***`]

Happiness, R(A) Three sisters of a squabbling old couple. One has a husband who fucks boys and a son who keeps asking his father about the penis and rejoices when he finally came, one is a loser in life trying to 'do good' and ends up cheated by a Russian and gets blamed for everything she does, and the last claims to be wooed by many suitors yet leads a lonely and hollow life as a writer. The last meets a fat guy who jerks off while calling strangers by the yellow pages, who is in turn secretly admired by an even fatter girl, who hates sex and cut off an old man's penis after he raped her. Such is the story of this black comedy which teases the many ironies in life and the tragedies which may seem perverted yet sympathetic. All the dirty linens and perverted people. Yet you feel compassionate for them. Such is the success of this brilliant movie. [****]

"The First Emperor" (Jing1 Ke1 Ci4 Qin2 Wang2) [Review contributed by Linda Lee] It was really nice! It was 2.5 hours long and I did not find it boring at all! It was different from 'Farewell to My Concubine' - not that slow-moving and so dull and so abstract. I did not know well about Chinese history and I knew that I have no affinity for that kind of knowledge before I watched the show. I went in without knowing what the story was all about. But at the end of the show, I was so glad that I watched it. It was fairly easy to understand. I feel that the whole show was so full and rich with feelings and emotions. I felt the love of the Chinese people at that time of Chinese history. There were times when I was almost moved to tears. The show is definitely worth the money. Go watch it when you have the time. There were so many angmohs watching. Give yourself a chance to be exposed to such Chinese historical film. [?]

"That One No Enough" (Na4 Ge Bu4 Gou4) Undeniably this is the best of the Jack Neo productions, but it is not a very impressive movie either. Though it deals with family problems, it over-trivialises them. There are certain characters and subplots that should have been elaborated (like the Mark Lee's wife, whose role was moving and should have been given more depths), but they were just briefly touched on. Expect some nice jokes (not many also) about marriage and manhood, and the usual blend of the dialects. All I can say is, Joke No Enough. [***]

"Xiu Xiu - The Sent-Down Girl" (Tian1 Yu4), R(A) Qi Yu's theme song is so subtly sad one can weep just by listening to it without watching the movie. (See 'Albums' section for review on soundtrack.) Lopsang (Lao Jin) is excellent in his portrayal as an impotent man with his secret suppressed love for Lulu (Xiu Xiu). His pain in retrieving the water from ten li away for Lulu to wash herself after each of her "prostitutions", is unexplainable and tragically heart-wrenching. His digging of a trench as a natural bathpool for Lulu (hence the Mandarin title) is also a scene that will be remembered for many generations down the Mandarin movie history. Although the plot is the usual "country-girl-turn-slut" storyline, the beautifully-shot sceneries, excellent acting and the cruel ripping of the false faces of humanity are the masterful strokes which made this movie a Golden Horse winner. [****]

Pleasantville It is a brilliant idea to use colours to signify liberation. After the movie, I start to realise the plentitude of Technicolors around me. And I am glad I am here. Joan Allen and William H. Macy are perfect in their roles as the Parker couple, trapped in the conservative unchanging world, yet bursting with unspoken emotions. Tobey Maguire and Jesse Witherspoon also did a fairly good performance in the movie as the "trend-changers". Several memorable moments and some hilarious snippets (the firemen saving the cat instead of the fire) making fun of the conservative world of Pleasantville. But some parts may seem too long. And it seems quite cruel and tyranic for the two young kids to go around changing everyone's life when they could have preferred the old way of living which they have been accustomed to all their life. Ending the movie in the way that everyone is living happily ever after in their own new life is just too Hollywood and unfeeling. Nevertheless, this movie is beautifully garnished with contrasting visual effects and meaningfully inlaid with the cry for liberation. [***`]

Matrix, The What is the Matrix? The 136-minute movie begins by Keanu Reeves (Neo) asking himself this question. And this is the quest that he takes throughout the movie to draw us into the Truth. Indeed, this movie is a breakthrough, being one of the first action movies with brains (and it is not overdoing this "intelligent" element), with all the stunning breathstopping visual effects. And you can be very skeptical if you want. Why aren't the telephones controlled by the Matrix? But, why do you need to bother about all these inconsistencies? This is afterall a movie, and you paid the seven bucks to entertain yourself, not to engross yourself in finding the loopholes. In fact, the movie takes a confident stride in convincing the audience about the Matrix. Yet it is not preaching, the occasional good-humoured jokes makes you laugh loud (the Oracle and her cookies, etc), and the actions and the burning question (the first sentence of this review) keeps us excited and wanting to find out about the Truth which many of us have been thinking but never had the courage and time to talk about it. Are we really free? Is there a Destiny (the doubts of Neo as the One)? Are we dreaming now, or are we in Reality? What is Reality? What are we? What are we doing here, in this world? What is the whole big deal about modernisation and humanity? Though I do not personally think the movie offered me an answer, it set me into a lot of deep thoughts which I used to have when I was more free. Also noteworthy is the female protagonist Carrie-Ann Moss, who played Trinity, a beautiful modernistic independent woman who looks like the younger version of Juliette Binoche. Not only did she carry the role with style, she did it with the humane touch. On the other hand, Laurence Fishburne (as Morpheus) did not have much characterisation besides being cool and sweaty and stinky. In conclusion. If you love action. And you love the kind of afterthoughts after a movie. Watch this. Oh yes, I forgot to answer the question. What is the Matrix? ... This is the Matrix. [****]

Kurt & Courtney, R(A) An extremely engaging documovie detailing the investigation on the death of the cult rock star Kurt Cobain of the grunge band Nirvana. Facts that El Duce passed the lie detection test claiming that Courtney Love gave him US$50,000 to kill Kurt (even though he was a person of extremely low credibility), and his subsequent "train accident" whcih killed him, the absence of Kurt's fingerprints on the supposed-suicide weapon, the impossibility to operate a gun when he was highly drugged then, Courtney's obvious eyes on Kurt's great possession and her control on his life, etc seem to suggest that Kurt Cobain's suicide was in fact a well-planned murder. Includes live recordings of Kurt's singing at his early age of 6, his paintings (the foetus, which he painted as he loved anything that was gross; his self-portrait was that of a skeleton as he always thought he was too skinny), exclusive interviews with his ex-lover, his best friend (who knows nothing at all), his baby's nanny, the then-still-alive El Duce and Kurt Cobain himself. Suitably paced and sarcastically humorously, this documovie is excellent. [****]

Velvet Goldmine, R(A) Spanning over 130 minutes, this fictional movie on the lifes of glam rock stars Brian Slade (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) and Kurt Wild (Ewan McGregor) is too long. Filled with issues of bisexuality with Ewan McGregor dancing fully naked several times, it is no wonder that it has an R(A) rating. Its soundtrack is perfect. In fact the whole movie seem like a series of MTVs (which is intended, I think) and it follows the style of 'Citizen Kane' in which the story is told by different people from different prospectives. However the story is told quite messily and the characters are very vague. [**`]

Ravenous [Review contributed by Christopher Boey] I think that the show is not that bad. I would give it a rating of 6/10. It has a rather interesting and "refreshing" (the kind of feeling after eating human flesh) storyline. The story is set in 1867, when the stupid Americans are fighting the Mexican rebels. It's about this hero guy who likes to eat human flesh but denies it. Then he meets another guy who has this unusual craving too and this guy is even crazy enough to come up with a plan to eat more people and build a community of "eaters".  Interesting idea, but here comes this dumb hero who has "morality" (what's morality, when you can't live to live by it!).  Eat, Eat, Eat, then slowly one by one everyone in the show dies of gruesome death. Only that all the gruesome parts are censored. And in the end, every person dies! [?]

Shakespeare in Love, R(A) It's a mystery. It's a delightful comedy by Joseph Fiennes, Gwyneth Paltrow, Geoffrey Rush, Ben Affleck, Tom Wilkinson and Judi Dench. Stirring soundtrack, beautiful costumes and set (just check out the grandeur of the ovation scene at the theatre at the end), neat and clean editing, memorable one-liners (Judi Dench's "Too late", Geoffrey Rush's "It's a mystery", etc), and a stunningly moving screenplay well-woven around Romeo & Juliet, Will & Viola. It seemed like this script was written by Shakespeare himself, a lively stageplay injected with wit, humour, romance, surprises, death and marriage. A most powerful acting throughout by the cast. How I wish I could watch the whole of 'Romeo & Juliet' in the movie, the snippets are so moving (thanks to the editing again). But, is it really worthy of the Best Picture award alongside the likes of 'Eizabeth', 'Life is Beautiful' and 'Saving Private Ryan?' And, yes, Judi Dench is perfectly seriously funny as the old Elizabeth, but doesn't Kathy Bates deserve it more for her role in 'Primary Colours?' And Cate Blanchett, isn't her role in 'Elizabeth' more sophisticated and more intricately acted compared to that of Gwyneth Paltrow's? Indeed, Shakespeare in Love is a classic, a breakthrough in comedies in the Shakespearean era. But is it really worthy of the numerous awards that it has won from the hands of other greater movies? [****]

Message in a Bottle This is a romantic movie garnished with the beautiful sceneries of the crashing waves and hueful sunsets. Heavyweight acting by Kevin Costner, Robin Wright Penn and Paul Newman makes the show more worth watching, although the movie itself is definitely too long, spanning 132 minutes. The body language of the actors and the sceneries tell a lot more of the mixed emotions than their speech in this novel-adapted story. If not for these strengths, this movie can be easily passed off as a commercial soap drama. The usage of blue throughout the movie is very obvious, and different tones of blue have been used to convey the different feelings --- there are the depressing blue, the hopeful blue, the peaceful blue, the stormy blue... The director must love the colour a lot. The orchestral score by Gabriel Yared sounds 'as-usual', yet it is able to touch us at the movie's climaxes. The soundtrack is moving and the vocals are ethereal. Perfect for couples. [***]

"Life is Beautiful" (La Vita e Bella) This is a gem. This is a masterpiece. This is a tragicomedic mix of simplicity, innocence, humanity, humour and irony. At the start of the movie, you will be laughing your hearts out with the wit and vibrance of Roberto Benigni (Guido Orefice). Memorable scenes of the "princess" (Dora) falling from the sky, the key of Maria, the "seven seconds", the dry hat, the red carpet and cushion umbrella in the rain, the "Buongiorno, Principessa", etc... Everything is so beautiful, glorious and romantic, with the potpurri of flowers and colours. But in a sudden twist, the story turns to become a world of living hell. The deception of the "first prize", the translation of the German speech, the irony of the American tank, the "anvil factory", Giosue's (Guido's little son) aversion to baths, etc... all are jokes that you can't bring yourself to laugh at in the predicament of the protagonists. And the cheery colours are all abruptly replaced by the stone-dull white, black and brown. The only shortcoming of this movie is probably the trivialisation of the character of Dora, which was not given much space for her display of emotions. But maybe this has been done in purpose. She is not the "main thing" in the show afterall. The movie is really just about how beautiful life is. No one can not cry throughout the movie. It will touch you at some point or another. The movie toys with your feelings with the stroke of a master, bringing you high up in romantic comfort at the start, then throwing you down to the pits in the most tragedic of ironies. Excellent script. Excellent directing. Excellent acting. Excellent soundtrack. Unmissable. [*****]

Payback Firstly, this is an action movie. As an action movie, Payback is sufficiently violent: not too gross, yet not too boringly clean; not too sex-splashing, yet appropriately sizzling (check out Lucy Alexis Liu's leather suit); not too fast-paced, yet in constant motion; not too intelligent, yet not another Arnold Schwarzenagger nutbrain flick. It is a decently humorous film. Not too much brains required, just a simple plot that even an idiot can understand, and don't even bother to try to understand how Mel Gibson could manage to survive after the two gunshots, two car-crashes and the loss of two toes. But I can't stomach how Mel can get away behaving like a 'good man' when he goes stealing and killing everyone as if it is rightful of him to do all that. In fact, Lucy Liu steals the show most of the time as the sado-masochistic whore who enjoys crushing her clients' crotches and bitching with all men even when the person is a 'fat-boy'. Throughout the show, I was anticipating her appearance as she is so naturally funny with her nonchalant look. Too bad she only appeared in four scenes, though all were memorable. [**]

Thin Red Line, The This film is definitely less powerful than 'Saving Private Ryan'. It does not touch you as much as SPR, even though the latter is more intoxicated by Hollywood-ism and the over-glorification of the Americans. Yet the movie is more poetic, both in its images and its narrative. A crocodile submerging itself in algae covered water. A bird in its death throes, dying alongside humans. Dogs feasting on dead human carcasses. Bodies dropping in the wind-bent grass. Terrence Malick is a poet of images. The Thin Red Line is a great visual poem. And like many poems, many people will not "get" it. Many wondered what the significance of the crocodile part was. The film opens with a question: "Why does nature contend with itself?" It shows a crocodile, a killer. Later, as men prove more deadly than crocodiles, it shows a bird, its wing shattered by gunfire, pulling itself along the ground. In a way the film is not about war at all, but simply about the way in which all living beings are founded on the necessity of killing one another. There is little characterisation, leaving veterans like Sean Penn, Nick Nolte and Woody Harrelson to stereotypical roles that have little space to display their talents, though they still instilled the movie with their excellent acting, showing their dilemma of being a soldier. At the end of the movie, you can name less than five characters, and you can't really recall what each of them did. The movie has not the 20-minute epical battle scene of SPR nor the gross images of the latter. In fact you seldom see blood, and that makes the film less 'realistic'. But the soundtrack by Hans Zimmer is very much richer than that of SPR, which preferred the solemn silence. If not for the soundtrack, the film is almost feeling-less and unmoving. Also, the narrative detailing the character's emotions towards war and love is plain, and usually you can't remember what he said at the front by the time he finished his quotes, though the narrative is beautifully accompanied by seemingly-meaningful sceneries (which is a plus for the movie). Maybe it would have been better if the movie had stuck more faithfully to the original novel. [***]

Elizabeth, R(A) A gripping 121-minute historical drama which will at least guarantee Oscar nominations of Best Actress (Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth I) and Best Supporting Actor (Geoffrey Rush as Sir Francis Walsingham). Intoxicating imagery (blood, sex, etc), superb acting, breathtaking camerawork, intelligent lines, vivid characterisation, and the delicate management of the tender dilemmatic relationship between Elizabeth and Robert Dudley (acted by Joseph Fiennes), make the otherwise confusing historical movie most engaging (although there are some facts and practices in the movie that you may not fully understand). After the movie, I really would like to check out more about Elizabeth I and her troubled times. [****]

Saving Private Ryan, NC16 This is a classic. Needless to say, Saving Private Ryan is unmissable. It is easily the best war movie of the century. Just hope that it won't get overhyped, as overhyped movies often become cheap-seeming and degraded (like 'Titanic'). I believe the theatre version has not been censored for a single bit as it spanned the full-length 169 minutes. There's not much drama in it, just pure brutal violent action (more brutal than you can imagine), action after action, and the violence speaks all that drama is to convey, though there is a dramatic coincidence for Reiben at the final "German soldier" scene. Guys should wear sunglasses so that your galfriend won't see you crying; gals should try not to giggle at places where it's supposed to be sad (yeah I had such people sitting behind me). And remember to go to a theatre with DTS (Digital Theatre Sound) as the sound effects are really good, they make you feel as if you are really at the battleground, with the rain falling around you, bullets shwooshing over your head... I even had the honour of sharing the cinema with someone who didn't wash his boots. I could smell the boots throughout the 169 minutes... or maybe that was part of the DTS experience (I must say it did make the battlefield experience more real). Uncountable memorable scenes, of the soldier who got his arm blasted off getting dazed for a while before he picked up the broken limb and walked away, and another soldier who got a bullet through his stomach and the intestines start to pour out and he tried desperately to put them back into the bloody messy hole, and the signaller who suffered a bombed depression in the middle of his face... There has never been a movie in my whole life which made me think so much and have so many deep impressions. Watch it now before it gets overhyped. Oh yes, one more thing, think the producers did not proof-read the Chinese subtitles. [*****]

You've Got Mail Actually I found it quite boring most of the time, but so many people said that it is nice. There are some quite funny and romantic moments, and it qualifies as a romantic comedy. But the plot is nothing new. Besides to watch Tom Hanks' charming and witty performance and Meg Ryan's ethereal femininity, or probably as an excuse to watch a movie with your loved one, there seems no reason why you should watch this movie. [**]

Meet Joe Black Easily passed off as a long boring show. But it is not. It is an intricately-woven tale revolving love and death (and in fact a remake of 'Death Takes A Holiday'). Marcia Gay Harden is excellent in her role as a daughter who was never paid attention to, who felt biased against compared to her younger sister, and who did so much to make her father's birthday the grandest of the century yet the father never gave a shit. But she still loved her father, because she knows he loved her. Anthony Hopkins is marvellous in his role as a dying man, managing his position as a father and as the director of his company. Brad Pitt, on the other hand, did not really make his two roles as Death and Young Man in Coffee Shop much differentiated, the only difference is that Death walks like a zombie and Young Man rolls his eyes. But he is undeniably suave and cute and charming in the movie, and he moves with such style and stride, his facial expressions are also the most convincing and beautiful (unlike his past works). Claire Forlani is also gorgeous and graceful in her role as Susan. And the passionate scenes between Brad and Claire are really sizzling and full of chemistry. So sizzling you just want to kiss your loved one (if s/he is beside you) right then. The movie deals with the emotions so slowly (thus the 3 hours) that the feelings creep into you without you even knowing until you realise that tears are rolling down your cheeks. It makes you question life and love. Why do you live? What is love? Watch the movie. Though I didn't quite like the ending, it's just too Hollywood. And this movie features probably the most joyous and glorious celebration for a person's death. [***`]

Holy Man A plain 114-minute dramedy by Eddie Murphy as a man called "G" who is supposed to be godly and gains pleasure by bringing happiness to everyone. It is an attempt to mix serious life issues with slapsticks and it is rather entertaining at times, but it gets pretty stale after a while when his senseless talks over the TV could actually convince people to buy the useless products. And the joke-frequency is quite low. [**`]

Living Out Loud, R(A) A humorous 93-minute film starring Holly Hunter and Danny DeVito. This is also a tale of loneliness, but the movie is handled with a funny touch, with Holly Hunter's fantasies mingled with reality. There are memorable times when Holly just scolded the old woman in the washroom for touching up her make-up as Holly told her straight in her face that she was so old her man would leave her anyway. And a good-intentioned Danny wanted to console a crying woman in the park but only made things worse when her boyfriend came along and misunderstood them and started a fight with the woman as Danny slipped away guiltily. So, why is it R(A)? Well, there is a scene where you can just manage to catch a glimpse (scarcely 2 seconds) of Holly's flat chest and well-shaven lower body, before she was given a massage by a professional gigolo at a time when she was really desperate for company. In conclusion, it's a simple story given a humorous treatment accompanied by good actors. [***`]

Rounders Being the last movie that I have watched in 1998, I would very much like to give this movie a good rating. But is is really disappointing. Matt Damon used the same set of facial expressions which he has used in 'Good Will Hunting'. The story is told in a monotonous way and it is pretty draggy as the length can be felt when it is just 120 minutes. There are absolutely no characterisation (Edward Norton and John Turturro's characters are extremely vague) or scenes that will leave any deep impression. The only delights of the film are the Russian-accented insults spoken by KGB (John Malkovich). [**]

Next Stop Wonderland Beautiful Hope Davis. Beautiful script. Beautiful soundtrack. Beautiful lines of sarcasm and humour. And a most beautiful editing. "Next Stop Wonderland" is an excellent indie movie with no twists and surprises, yet it is so richly colourful in its characterisation and script that the otherwise monotonous 111-minute movie does not seem boring at all. It is a tale of loneliness, a play on Destiny and a merciless tease at the contemporary romance. A very good break from the 'Armageddon''s that you have been watching, though some skeptics claim that this movie has been overrated. Watch it. [****]

Prince of Egypt As Dreamwork's Jeffery Katzenberg has said, "We have 88 minutes to tell 70 years in the life of Moses. We can never be a literal retelling of the Bible. We've edited God, but we have not rewritten him." One of the controversies that stirred up was the fact that the relationship between Rameses and Moses has been changed from uncle-nephew to being brothers. But really, this is a cartoon (complicated relationships will only confuse the younger audience), and in fact this daring change helped to portray Rameses II (considered one of the greatest of Pharaohs) as more than just a stone-hearted villian, in the simplest and most harmless way possible. The filmmakers have tried hard enough to avoid such arguments. Even the skin tones of the slave population had been meticulously chosen to show the multiethnic effect. The voice of God and Moses also could not afford a hint of a female tone - Val Kilmer's voice was considered the most masculine and he was chosen for this reason. But it is such details that led to the greatest flaw of the movie, as it can be sensed that the filmmakers are trying hard to be careful in every minute frame so that the show will not be blasphemic or controversial. The whole motion picture is just too "uptight". But nevertheless it is an excellent animated production, and it has been further enhanced by its delightful soundtracks (like "Deliver Us" and "When You Believe"). It may not be an epic, but it has definitely opened new grounds in the field of animation pictures. [****]

A Bug's Life I don't think you will fall asleep on this one. It's again the loser-save-the-world thing, but it is filled with a lot more funny "slapsticks" (what you get when you slap Stik), beautiful animation graphics and adorable characters (my personal favourite is Tuck & Roll, the two spastic lice). Never knew Kevin Spacey could sound SO evil (as Hopper). [***`]

"Gorgeous" (Bo1 Li2 Zun1) This is a romantic action movie, and it is more 'romantic' than 'action'. Shu Qi did a very good job acting as the innocent growing-up Taiwanese girl. While the action parts are unnecessary and dispensable. In fact they seem to disrupt the flow of storyline. But this is a Jackie Chan movie afterall... Expect funny special appearances by Stephen Chow and Wu Junru. Tony Leung and Richie Ren Xianqi also did well in their supporting roles. [***]

"A Hero Never Dies" (Zhen1 Xin1 Ying1 Xiong2) True enough, Leon Lai and Liu Qingyun can never die in this movie (until the end). There is one part where Leon was shot by multiple bullets and hit several times on the head by a baton and the next scene he was standing hard and well again. It's the usual Chinese movie featuring two heroes. And of course their girlfriend has to suffer a lot too because they are always in trouble. The one-and-a-half movie is too dramatic, and there is nothing to see in it. There wasn't even babes, just veteran (and non-veteran) actors (and actresses). If not because the scenes were still quite emotional at some points, this movie would have gotten a worse rating. [**]

"City of Glass" (Bo1 Li2 Zhi1 Cheng2) Also making a reference to Hong Kong (the title refers to HK, with streets of high-rised buildings and their glass windows), this movie is nowhere comparable to the excellent Golden Horse Best Picture of last year 'Made In Hong Kong' (Xiang1 Gang3 Zhi4 Zao4). It has a weaker storyline and characterisation. And there are moments when the viewer may just fall asleep. Though I am surprised that Shu Qi was not nominated for her performance in this movie this year. She injected feelings and life to the otherwise normal and boring character and did a very good job in portraying her character in the show. She was excellent. Also commendable is the memorable soundtrack. It's just too bad that just as one of the protagonist in the show said, "Hong Kong seems like a flash, but it is empty really". This show seems like a glamorous award-winning movie, but it really has too little substance in it. [***]

"Extreme Crisis" (B Ji4 Hua4) As a Mandarin movie (and even more so as a Mandarin action movie), it deserves a high rating. It has a normal plot - some terrorist group threatens the HK police to release their leader or else they shall bring about a sarin chemical explosion that will destroy HK in 10 minutes, but the whole movie is really suitably fast-paced and exciting (though it is lack of depth, but what the hell, this is an action movie and it is made in HK!!!). Li Qihong did a very good job in her brief minor role, while Shu Qi has been given a dispensable character which is obviously there just to draw the male audience. [****]

Albums

Love in the Time of Science (Emiliana Torrini) Why haven't I noticed her earlier? Her translucent vocals and Icelandic accent are similar to Bjork's (well, she IS Icelandic), and her musical style resembles that of Portishead. Each of the 11 tracks are a gem on their own, with lyrics about little little things that she saw and felt in her life, and music that haunts you upon first hearing. [****`]

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Sountrack) Bought it as I was mesmorised by the end song "Gollum's Song" performed by Emiliana Torrini. The rest of the score by Howard Shore is great too, with memorable themes that reminds you of the scenes in the movie. [***`]

SHiN (SHiN) This new Chinese rock group is brilliant and very promising! All their pieces are potential pop hits. Their vocals and chords are powerful and masculine, and their songs remind you of great artisties like Aerosmith, Gomez, etc. The 11-track CD comes with a 11-track VCD as well. Big bonus! [****`]

"The Eighth Dimension" [Ba1 Du4 Kong1 Jian1] (Jay Chou) This guy improves on every album. Here, he shines again with his trademark R&B, piano interludes, macho rocks and smooth ballads. But is really feels like a sequel to his second album - a little too commercial. Package includes a VCD with a mini-movie, and a Jay pouch. [****]

Fever [Re4] (Jacky Zhang) 11 great tracks, ranging from R&B to ballads. Refreshing. Includes 3 VCDs of Taiwanese drama "Lie4 Ai4 Shang1 Hen2". [***`]

Modern Rock (Compilation) 18 rock hits by Linkin Park, Sugar Ray, Fuel, REM, Creed, Travis, Matchbox Twenty, etc. Very listenable. [***`]

"Song of the Black Earth" [Hei1 Tu3 Ge1] (Feng Shaoxian) The master plays the sanxian, banhu, yueqin, zhongruan and percussion in this wonderful collection of works dedicated to him, including two 4-movement concertos "Manchu Suite" and "Sketches of the Northern Nationalities". Excellent. [****]

"Truth" [Zhen1 Shi2] (A*Mei) This is a brilliant album. Since her first two excellent albums of Sisters and Bad Boyz, A*Mei repeated the same formulas to churn out boring mainstream songs that make little impression. But, she has redeemed herself this time. This album probably even outshines whatever she has ever done. By embarking on new and varied musical styles while maintaining her powerful vocals, A*Mei has clearly attempted to sing the songs with different techniques that are truly applaudable and a breakthrough to her own musical career. The result? A totally listenable 12-track album with every single track recommended. [*****]

"Fantasy Plus - EP" (Jay Chou) An essential addition to his Fantasy album, with 3 songs initially written for others. Also includes a 13-track MTV VCD, with all the 10 songs from Fantasy and concert excerpts of the 3 new tracks. The special edition includes a Jay scarf. [****]

"It's mE" [Fan3 Zheng4 Shi4 Wo3] (Eason Chan) 2-3 excellent tracks like "King of Karaoke" (K Ge1 Zhi1 Wang2) and "Why Not" (Bu4 Ru2 Zhe4 Yang4) are good enough reasons for you to buy the CD. Most of the tracks here are raps, though. [****]

Wang Fei (Faye Wong) This time there are less gimmicks in the packaging, only a poster for the early birds, and 3 postcards for the Singapore edition. Featuring 11 Mandarin and 2 Cantonese (5, if you got the limited edition) tracks composed by new collaborators (from the likes of Tanya, Wu Bai, Liang Qiaobo, Nicholas Tse, Chen Xiaojuan, and lyrics by, who else but, Lin Xi), this album is... weird, even by Faye's standards. The songs are too varied in style. Here, you get everything from jazz, Mexican-flamenco, Cheena ballad, techno and Chinese rock amidst dramatic orchestrations and dazzling electric guitars. Faye is still supreme in hitting the high notes and she still sings with her unmistakable la-la's. Tanya's "Wrong Number" (Da3 Cuo4 Le) stands out in the album for being refreshing with its humorous lyrics and light-hearted melody. The much-anticipated "Lost" (Mi2 Hun2 Ji4) is instead rather disappointing and leaves little impression. "Flowing Years" (Liu2 Nian2) will become a future karaoke hit. [****]

"Fantasy" [Fan4 Te4 Xi1] (Jay Chou Jielun) Though he still retains his unique slurred vocals and R&B style, he has decided to venture more into rap this time. This album is generally less brilliant than his debut, and it requires repeated hearings to like it. One special mention for a song that featured family violence and where Jay sang Hokkien in R&B style. [***`]

Parachutes (Coldplay) Coldplay reminds me of Beck sometimes, but Coldplay is more pop than Beck. With beautiful tunes from "Yellow", "Don't Panic" and "Spies", Guy Berryman's versatile vocals switches smoothly between falsetto and young man's angst. Most of the songs will leave a deep impression and you will find yourself humming them in the bathroom. [****`]

"Kite" [Feng1 Zheng1] (Sun Yanzi) The third album in a year since her debut and she is still hot in the charts. My comments are the same as that for her second. She is still good and her raspy versatile vocals are still very charming, but nothing beats her debut album, and here she already starts to sound over-exploited. Many songs are clearly copied from those success formulae in her first album. [***]

[Ge1 Na4 Si1 Hu2] (Wei Yuru) This is a Chinese zhongruan solo album. Only four tracks, but they are enough for you to buy it. The first track is the maginificent Reminiscences of Yunnan (composed by Liu Xing). Yuru plays it with her Chinese background, and though different from Liu Xing's guitar style, her notes are crystal clear and her musical feel is excellent - you will get a very different feel for the song. She is only the second person who has the technical and musical ability to play the song well. The following two pieces are famous ancient pieces "Song1 Feng1 Han2" and "Yue4 Er2 Gao1". The last is the title track, a zhongruan concerto. [****]

Moulin Rouge (Soundtrack) Relive the movie moments with this fantastic soundtrack, with varied genre from Hindi music to dancey pop rocks. [****]

Vespertine (Bjork) Bjork is still herself in this new album. The tunes are more peaceful and beautiful than her previous albums, and instrumentations are very much more mature and elaborate. Here, she also shows off her flair in soprano with flawless high-soaring notes. [****]

Blowback (Tricky) After plunging into gangsta rap for his last album (and to me, failing in it), Tricky is back to his Maxinquaye style. With the help of the likes of Alanis Morissette, Cyndi Lauperb and Ed Kowalczyk, easy-listening trip-hop is back, with club-friendly "Evolution Revolution Love" and even a remake of Nirvana's "Something in the Way". Extremely listenable, from start to end, even upon repeated hearings. [****`]

"Ought To" [Ying1 Gai1] (Faith Yang Naiwen) An excellent album that shows off the versatility of Faith's gentle, strong and wide-ranged vocals. From a frantic rock piece to slightly more obscure pieces and romantic ballads that are Cranberries-ic, the whole album is a wonderful collection of very listenable pop. Import version is a Power CD that includes the MV of "Wish Me Happiness [Zhu4 Wo3 Xing4 Fu2]". [****`]

Amnesiac (Radiohead) A 11-track album containing "leftovers" from their previous album Kid A. This one is milder, but don't be expecting radio-friendly hits. Thom Yorke still surprises (and that is no surprise) with his beautiful falsettos, distortions and dramatic orchestrations. The special edition comes in a very nice red "library book" (complete with a record card with stamps of 'book return dates') and includes a red T-shirt with the Amnesiac icon - the crying devil. [****]

The Best of Na Ying (Na Ying) With almost all her favorite hits, this 15-track compilation is a must-have for those who loved her songs and never bought her albums. [****]

Jay Album (Jay Chou Jielun) !!!!! !!!!! Finally! Someone has finally done it in the Chinese music scene! Jay has successfully brought Chinese R&B, Soul and Rap to a whole new level. Forget about C*c* Lee, Al*x Toh, etc: Hmm, I never appreciated their "R&B" (I never considered their music "R&B"). With his youthful spirits, beautiful falsetto, daring singing styles, touching ballads and tongue-twisting rap, Jay is One of His Kind. [*****]

"My Desired Happiness" [Wo3 Yao4 De Xing4 Fu2] (Sun Yanzi) Her first album was too good. Although this follow-up is very incredible (believe the reviews: this new album is really that good), it is still nowhere comparable to its brilliant predecessor. It is obvious that her voice is less "raw" and the songs are more commercially-driven, but there is no doubt that her style is still as charming and unique. [***`]

"Animal Suites" [Xian2 Yun2 Gu1 He4] (Liu Xing) This album features four symphony orchestral pieces by composed Liu Xing. Besides the title track (which comprises of 4 charming and lively movements), there are also "Symphony No. 3", and symphony orchestral versions of 2 previously-released zhongruan solo pieces: "Still Cloud and Solitary Crane [Xian2 Yun2 Gu1 He4]" and the 4-movement zhongruan concerto "Reminiscences of Yunnan [Yun2 Nan2 Hui2 Yi4]". Voronezh State Symphony Orchestra was conducted by Mak Ka-Lok in this CD. [****]

"Talking To Myself" [Gu1 Fang1 Zi4 Shang3] (Liu Xing) This is a brilliant collection of 14 zhongruan solo/duet etude pieces composed by Liu Xing and his sole disciple Shen Fei. There is no doubt in their mastery in the techniques (some new ones are also introduced by them) of the Chinese instrument zhongruan: their flowing demisemiquavers are unbelieveably crystal-clear and the guitar-like chords are soothingly gentle. Only at times when the music is loud, the strings tend to "buzz" too loudly as well. [****`]

"Y2K" [Chuang4 Shi4 Ji4 Jing1 Xuan2] (Luo Jialiang) This Cantonese collection of the man with the charismatic and charming voice Luo Jialiang is definitely value-for-money: 2 CDs containing 38 tracks and 1 VCD containing 12 MTVs, sold at the price of one CD, complete with full lyrics of all the songs. This compilation includes all 5 songs from the hit series "Tian1 Di4 Hao2 Qing2" and also several songs from "Nan4 Xiong1 Nan4 Di4" and "Mei3 Wei4 Tian1 Wang2", featuring the voices of other Hong Kong artistes like Xuan Xuan, Zhang Keyi, Wu Zhenyu, Guan Yonghe, etc. There's nothing much I can say: this is a perfect collection. [*****]

1 (The Beatles) Who else can claim this album title besides the almighty Beatles? Boasting a collection of all the US/UK #1 singles in 27 tracks, what more do you ask for? This long-awaited collection proves to be the best collection of the Beatles as yet, and for those who are still unfamiliar with this most important band of this millenium, this album is the quickest means to know them. [*****]

Stray Blues: A Collection of B-Sides (Beck) This Japanese import features a collection of little-known songs in the past singles (1993-98) of Beck, specially picked out by the man himself. 8 tracks, all fresh and easy-listening, in the usual relaxed Beck-style and unique instrumentations. [****`]

"Fable" [Yu4 Yan2] (Faye Wong) Breaking the monotony of the conservative music scene, here is Faye Wong revealing her inner emotions (and music ingenuity) through her music since Exasperation (Fu2 Zao4). Containing 10 Mandarin and 2 Cantonese tracks (record-breaking breath-taking 57 minutes), this long-anticipated album is a gem - well, at least half of it definitely is. The first 5 non-mainstream (new age?) tracks are all composed by Faye and linked by a storyline detailing the beginnings of Love - much like Kitaro's Kojiki, while the last 7 tracks are all mainstream tracks. I love the first half of the album that is fully backed by Beijing Symphony Orchestra, Beijing Choir and Beijing Ensemble, including the famous panpiper Du Chong: The album is very focused and, like a symphonic poem, it unravels slowly as you listen to the suite of songs, while the prince goes on the search for the owner of the glass shoes. The first track "Han2 Wu3 Ji4" (The Cambrian Era) is a dramatic opening to the fable of love and is impressive with its lonesome panpipes, opera chorals and grand orchestration. I first heard the second track "Xin1 Fang2 Ke4" (The New Tenant) in Faye's latest movie "Lian4 Zhan4 Chong1 Sheng2" (Okinawa Rendezvous), maybe that is why it is one of my top 3 favorite tracks. When listening to this track, I can imagine myself travelling on the road against the wind. With hifi blasting in the background, I am immersed in a sense of freedom, searching for something in the busy streets. The third track "Xiang1 Nai3 Er" (Chanel, which the VCD claims it has no relations to this fashion giant) is the theme song for the new Head & Shoulders commercial in Hong Kong: light-hearted and upbeat, slightly Bjork-ish in its musical arrangement. The fourth track "A1 Xiu1 Lo2" (Asura, Semigod of Destruction), is wickedly and tragically beautiful with Faye's breaths and sighs: "Why should we rather be unhappy, and live together still?"... Seems reflective of her unhappy marriage. The Buddhism-influenced fifth track "Bi3 An4 Hua1" (Flower on the Other Shore) is another of my favorite tracks. With simple and sultry lyrics, from silent self-mumbling to trembling agitation, Faye stretches the limits of her vocals with voices from her heart, as she sings of the eternal wait for her destined love (roughly translated): "Those I'd seen, have faded. Those that'd disappeared, I'd memorised. I stand on the edge of the world, hearing the first sprouts peeking out of the grounds; I wait for the flowers to blossom, and see them leave their dying scents to Eternity. On the other shore, there isn't a lighthouse, but I am still looking into the dark. The dark skies flushed my hair to pale whiteness, while I still hold on to my torch. He finally comes, and I say to myself, I am not afraid, I love him." "Ru2 Guo3 Ni3 Shi4 Jia3 De" (If You Are False) is the most light-hearted song Faye has ever sang. With jazzy hippiness that is almost Charlie Chaplin, this song breaks from the solemnity of the earlier tracks and tells you it's time to sit back and enjoy some easy pieces. "Bu4 Ai4 Wo3 De Wo3 Bu4 Ai4" (I Love Not What Love Me Not) will be a commercial hit with a sweet melody reminiscent of "Wo3 Ye3 Bu4 Xiang3 Zhe4 Yang4" (I Didn't Want It This Way Too). The ninth track "Ni3 Xi3 Huan1 Bu4 Ru2 Wo3 Xi2 Huan1" (Would Rather I Like It Than You Like It) is another light-hearted and promising hit with humorous wackiness that tells the romantic games played between loving couples. You will be tempted to sing along at the chorus with the acoustic guitars. "Zai4 Jian4 Ying2 Huo3 Chong2"(Goodbye Fireflies) is reminiscent of "Bai3 Nian2 Gu1 Ji4" (Hundred Years of Loneliness) that may just turn out to be a commercial success (I prefer its Cantonese version). The tenth track "Xiao4 Wang4 Shu1" (Forgotten Loveletter) is my personal favorite with a flowing melody that touches your heart. With emotional grand-piano and string quartet accompaniments, this first hit single will stay on the charts for a long time. The last two Cantonese tracks are just the Cantonese version of the last two tracks. In conclusion, this is a very wholesome album which tries to link her previous albums by mentioning some of her previous songs in the lyrics. Limited delux edition includes a VCD, a promotional single, a poster and a paper bag featuring Faye's 'witchy' eyes as on the album cover. The 15-minute VCD is a must-have to appreciate the first 5 tracks better, with excerpts of the 5 MTVs and the making of the Head & Shoulders commercial and the commercial itself. [****`]

Imagine (John Lennon) Digitally remastered under the supervision of Yoko Ono, and equipped with several pictures of Yoko and Lennon, this album is perfect with all the necessary John Lennon songs that will touch the heart of every regular man: the flowing piano in "Imagine", the sultry ballad "Jealous Guy", the sarcasm in "Crippled Inside" and "Gimme Some Truth", not to mention other classics like "Oh My Love", "Oh Yoko!", "How?", "How Do You Sleep", etc. 10 tracks of absolute brilliance. [*****]

Selmasongs (Bjork) Soundtrack to the motion picture "Dancer in the Dark". This 7-track album pales to all her previous albums: All the tracks are just the usual Bjork-style and there are no breakthroughs which are usually expected of every new Bjork album. I have not watched the musical but "107 Steps" was rather feeble with the countdown to 100. The collaboration with Radiohead Thom Yorke "I've Seen It All", however, is a highlight for this album with alluring vocals and humorous poetic lyrics: "Have you seen the Great Wall? All walls are great, if the roof doesn't fall!" [***]

Kid A (Radiohead) Just when you think Radiohead has done it all in OK Computer, they are back with a surprising blend of new sounds that you have never heard before. Don't be expecting too many lyrics though, this album promises out-of-this-world music (from harps to techno to french horns) and noises that cannot be labelled as 'noises' by anyone. Hear for yourself how incoherent sounds can sound so harmonious and make you feel like floating in the air! Repeated-listening-inducing. Includes a hidden booklet behind the jewel casing featuring Tony Blair (who "tells you all you want to hear"). [****`]

Black Market Music (Placebo) The first three tracks (including "Taste in Men") are reminiscent of their last album, and the real thing only kicks off at the fourth track with "Spite & Malice", with excellent tracks like "Blue American" and "Slave to the Wage". The title track, which is ironically a hidden track, is also charming with strings and orchestral arrangements. However, this album is, overall, not very impressive, and has overdone their 'preaching' of anti-drugs theme with "Haemoglobin", "Narcoleptic", etc. [***`]

Californication (Red Hot Chili Peppers) Pop hits like "Scar Tissue", "Otherside" and "Californication" are tunes that will keep ringing in your head and you just can't help but hum them when you're bathing. Other tracks like "Around the World" and "Parallel Universe" relive the old RHCP moments with their rock pieces. 15 tracks, with 4 MTVs for the special limited edition release. [***`]

Mobile Home (Longpigs) Every song in this Longpigs' second album is different, with styles as varied as that of Beck, Suede, Morrissey, Radiohead and Bjork. Most of the time, it's like Morrissey singing Beck's songs. Very nice. [****]

Midnite Vultures (Beck) Beck is still savvy as ever in this official release, as he dwell into the "Sexx Laws" in his first track, and grooves in "Nicotine & Gravy" in the next. Exciting and groovy is how I would describe this excellent album. [****]

Mellow (Kyosuke Himuro) The album is far from being mellow: it's outstanding! Besides the absolutely touching Ice World theme 'Diamond Dust', there are 9 other tracks from various genre. Kyosuke Himuro sings like a man who has gone through a lot in his life, he weeps macho-ly to the ballads and dances passionately to the rock pieces. Ballads like 'Eternity' and 'So Far So Close' will melt your heart, and rock pieces like 'Sleepless Nights' and 'Bringing da Noise' will get your bonbons shaking to his beats. Unexpectedly brilliant. [*****]

Magnolia [Soundtrack] (Aimee Mann) Realistic lyrics and easy tunes are what attracted me to this little-known artiste. The way she puts painful experiences into songs had in fact inspired the director of 'Magnolia' to make the movie in the first place. Tracks like 'One', 'Driving Sideways', 'Wise Up' and 'Save Me' are songs that you just want to listen to it, again and again, and every time you feel differently. [****]

Roll Over 20th (Chage & Aska) Remember the '101 Proposals' years back? Yep, that beautiful theme song 'Say Yes' is found here in this 2-CD, 29-track (at the price of 1 CD) compilation. Containing songs from the 80's to the most recent Year 2000 album, this compilation is timely and an essential for those who loved C&A but have not bought any of their albums. From old-time ballads 'Self-bloom' to the 'On Your Mark' heard on the commercials, there is no reason why you should let go of this cheap deal. [****]

Vivaldi Recorder Concertos (Dan Laurin) Containing six Vivaldi recorder concertos, the beauty of the simple woodwind instrument is unraveled slowly, from breathtaking pizzicatos to soothing trills. You will be amazed at the variety and range of the much understimated instrument, and you will want to pick up that primary-school-recorder and learn it all over again. [****]

Future [Soundtrack for 'Love 2000'] (S.E.N.S.) Doesn't the simple yet tragically beautiful tune of 'Love 2000' melt your heart? Here you get three versions of this theme 'Forbidden Love', and also another often-played (and equally nice) piece 'Something in the Air', plus 8 other nice pieces. Can be played at any time of the day. [***`]

Yesterday & Today (Do As Infinity) This Japanese single contains the theme song of 'Love 2000', an instrumental version of it, and 5 other not-very-impressive tracks. Not really recommended unless you love the theme song very much. [***]

Standing on the Shoulder of Giants (Oasis) A fantastic album!! You can find the usual Oasis-typic songs like "Go Let It Out" and "I Can See A Liar", honest solo pieces like "Sunday Morning Call", and many other truly noteworthy classics. The whole album is recommended! Brilliant, ever since the"Morning Glory" album. [****`]

Liquid Skin (Gomez) Gomez retains their style in their debut album to create this other wonderful album. The husky and gentle duo is the perfect companion on a lonely night. [****]

No Boundaries: A Benefit for the Kosovar Refugees (Various) This compilation is great. Featuring 'The Last Kiss' by Pearl Jam, and other contributions and rarities by (to name a few) Alanis Morisette, Oasis, Sarah McLachlan, Tori Amos, Manic Street Preachers, Suede, Ben Folds Five, Bush, etc, this album is a mixture of good rock and radio-friendly hits. Though it has no clear direction, but, hey, this is a compilation, and it's meant to raise funds. Moreover, it will soon become a collector's item when stocks run out. [***`]

Terror Twilight (Pavement) Like a sequel to the last album 'Brighten the Corners', this 11-track album takes the 'lighter' and more mature trend of its predecessor, much unlike the earlier louder grungy jammings in 'Slanted & Enchanted' and the likes. As before, Pavement surprises you with simple yet unique (almost 'folkish') tunes that are humorous, short-and-sweet, delightful, pleasant-hearing and casual. The guitar parts are very well-written and they complement the equally unique vocals perfectly. A very consistent record that makes you feel that life as an ordinary man is not too bad afterall. [****`]

"Only Love Strangers" [Zhi3 Ai4 Mo4 Sheng1 Ren2] (Faye Wong) This new offering is definitely not the best of her works. It has 12 tracks: 10 Mandarin and 2 Cantonese. The melodies are mostly bland and 'normal'. However, the lyrics are the best ever, very much more philosophical, subtle and poetic than any of her past songs. The album is more mellow, and unlike her last album, it is not as colorful and cheery (both packaging-wise and song-wise). This probably reflects her feelings towards life right now, weary and hoping for a change. The first track, 'Irony', probably attracts the most attention as it is the first time Faye's voice is recorded with distortions. My personal favourite is still the second track, 'That Moon That Time', though it is a little 'commercial', it is sung tragedically beautifully with Faye's soothing vocals, and it is bound to hit the radios and top the charts. Another excitement in the album is the Coca Cola ad theme song, 'Exciting', with its upbeat melody sung by the ever-flexible voices of Faye. In conclusion, this album is not a must-buy, but you can be guaranteed that Faye's voice is as ethereal as ever, though there isn't much showcase of her versatile vocals (unlike the last album), she is still the Queen nevertheless. Get the album fast and you get a poster, a 12-card Faye-pictures calendar and a bonus VCD featuring the Coca Cola ad, MTV, and a 10-minute 'making of the ad'. [****]

You Can (Karen Mok) Thumbs up for this singer who's trying every way to be different from thwe mainstream. Even the mainstream tunes sound different when they are sung through the strange accents of Karen. 12 all-recommend tracks, ballads and dancie tracks, including a beautiful photo montage for the import version. [***`]

"The Fading Village" [Yuan3 Qu4 De Cun1 Zhuang1] (Liu Xing) This new Chinese new age album by Liu Xing is by far his fourth since "Doing Nothing", and he is back to using the sounds of the Chinese instruments (like ruan, guqin, xiao, etc) in his compositions. My favourite pieces are those with the guqin parts, very 'ancient' yet contemporary. In this very beautifully-packaged (with cinematographic pictures and peoms written by Liu Xing himself) album are some of his best compositions, very touching and very much more 'humane' (unlike his last album which was very abstract and didn't have that 'humane' touch as the songs were completely constructed by midi). An excellent album. [****`]

"Richie Best Collection" [Tian1 Ren4 Da4 Shi3] (Ren Xianqi) Including all his hits like 'Soft-Hearted' and 'Sad Pacific', etc, this 2-CD 20-song compilation is well-timed and contains all the essentials of Richie Ren. Also includes a VCD with 8 MTVs. [***]

"Xiu Xiu" [Tian1 Yu4] (Soundtrack) This album is excellent!!! This album is excellent!!! This album is excellent!!! ... I can't help but exclaim with such excitement. The movie itself is excellent, but the soundtrack is even more excellent!!! This is the first time I buy a Chinese movie soundtrack, and I am really impressed. I really have to take my hats off to the original composer Johnny Chen (better known as 'Xiao3 Chong2') for his brilliant 18 tracks!! There are basically 3 themes: the main theme is a (very tear-inducing) western style theme, the next is a (very classical and equally heart-wrenching) Chinese style theme, and the third happier Chinese theme is really comparable to the famous 'Liang2 Zhu4' theme. Enhanced with a strong orchestra and the heavenly vocals of Chyi (Qi2 Yu4, who also wrote the beautiful English lyrics for the main theme in English version), Johnny's music is powerful (almost powerfully morose), and you can replay the whole movie in your mind while listening to the soundtrack. However, undeniably, the 3 themes are respectively shadows of the themes of 'The Godfather', 'The Soong Sisters' and 'Liang2 Zhu4'. The inlay booklet is also very nicely done with detailed composer intentions, orchestral arrangements and movie summary. Really, get it!!! [****]

Into the Woods ... ... (Aphelion) This 5-man local band is one of the more unique ones to date. With a conceptual fusion of Yanni, Kitaro, Nirvana and Bon Jovi, the flexible styles vary from soft self-confessional pieces to (slightly) heavy guitar-jammings. Songs like "Alone" will appeal to everyone with lyrics which you will feel close-to-heart and a melody that is casual and easy-listening. There is also a 'rock concerto' (if I may call it that) of 5 connected movements, "Remnants of Yesterday", with several minutes of solo guitar-jamming and some occasional singing. Humpback Oak also appears in one of the tracks (Alone [Demo version '95]). A very commendable effort. Only available at Tower Records. [***`]

"The Best Of Cass Phang" [Cong2 Ling2 Kai1 Shi3] (Cass Phang) The Queen of Sorrows has finally released a compilation of her songs of sorrows. Featuring all the top songs which hit both the charts and our hearts, this album is essential for those who have not been getting her albums but have long heard of her powerful heart-wrenching vocals. Also features two new songs. And if you bought the Singapore edition, besides the normal 2 CD set (sold at the price of one), you get a bonus CD single of the theme song of the HK ghost series "Liao2 Zhai1", which is equally enchanting and definitely worth adding to your collection. [****]

Fear of Fours (Lamb) This is the third disppointing album after those by The Cranberries and Blur. What I liked about Lamb was Lou's raw and liberate vocal, and Andrew's "non-4/4" beats. In this new album, Lou's voice is so much more "careful" and she seems to be imitating Beth Gibbons in most of the tracks. The "non-4/4" beats are also ironically less obvious than in their last album, although the title of this new album is a teasing mock at the present musical convention of (or present musicians' conservative liking for) the 4/4 beats. Some of the tracks also came from the previously-released b-sides. I have been looking forward totheir new release, and it turned out to be such a letdown... [**`]

Without You I'm Nothing (Placebo) The highly flexible (and sometimes gender-bending) vocals of Brian Molko is perfect in portraying the varied styles of glam rock, grunge and ballad. Titles like "Pure Morning" makes a delightful opening; "You Don't Care About Us", "The Crawl" and "Burger Queen" give the 'shadowy' and lonely feeling; "Brick Shithouse" and "Scared of Girls" are just fun and 'liberated'. An indispensable album, on repeated hearings. [****]

Bury the Hatchet (The Cranberries) Like Blur, this new album is a disappointment. Besides having sing-along-able "Animal Instinct", "Promises", "Copycat", etc, the album leaves no deep impression, and there are no gems like "Linger" or "Zombie" anymore. It seems like this album was cut just to remind people that they are still around. Yes, Dolores O'Riordan still yodels masterfully, and her voice is still oh-so-beautiful, and you still get the "doo-doo-doo", "la-ra-ra" in the songs (these are even printed on the lyrics book, in the exact number of times each la-la was sung). But this album is really not one to remember. [**`]

13 (Blur) The last album was titled "Blur", and now it's "13". The band has really run out of names for their albums. Why "13"? Well, there are 13 tracks in all, and "13" is created when the alphabet "B" (for "Blur") is broken up. The first track "Tender" will definitely become a great radio hit, with glorious choir background vocals and a sing-along anthem. Another possible radio hit would be "Coffee & TV". Besides these, the rest of the album is very alternative. No more clever lyrics as from their past "Countryhouse" and "Charmless Man". No more hummable melodies. Songs like "Bugman", "Swamp Song" and "Trimm Trabb" sound like tracks off a grunge band album, totally un-blur! Yet they are surprisingly good in these songs. You will actually feel closer to them through these tracks, compared to the past songs with the "intellectual" lyrics and too-well-crafted music arrangements. There are also many tracks that do not have any vocals in them, just pure guitar-jamming and occasionally some mumbling. The album is also scattered here and there with short uncompleted guitar chords which makes the album quite disorganised and informal, somewhat like a garage group's demo tape. These aside, the slower, sadder songs like "Caramel" and "No Distance Left to Run" are quite impressively done, and the last track, an instrumental piece, "Optigan 1", is probably the best track on the album, ending the record in a blurry smoky mystery. This new album is really very different from the usual Blur albums, and the transformation is probably too fast, although the band did prepare us for such a change in the last album. But I am really not used to it. [***]

Deserter's Songs (Mercury Rev) You won't notice this album on the shelves among the others as its cover is so dimly coloured and humble. But this is a beautiful album. Probably I have a weak spot for symphonic sounds, this 11-track (plus a hidden track of a symphonic joke) offering is brilliant, with soothing harmonic vocals and moving string arrangements. Mostly slow pieces. The first track "Holes" is so tragically beautiful you may want to jump after hearing it. This is followed by two heart-warming tracks of "Tonite It Shows" and "Endlessly". The album then takes a slow transformation through the tracks to become more cheerful, while tracks like "Pick Up if You're There" touches you with its crying bowed saw. It eventually closes with a fast track "Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp" which ends the record on a high note. A very honest album, with no hypocrasy in the lyrics and melodies. Just plain emotions well-delivered. [****]

Velvet Goldmine (Soundtrack) This is a 19-track 72-minute album. As Hype! (a documovie about the grunge scene in the Film Fest a few years back) is a 5-star album packed with excellent fun grunge pieces, this is a rolling-good-time sun-shiny 70/80s glam-rock album. While featuring big names like Pulp, Ewan McGregor, Thom Yorke, Lou Reed, Placebo and Brian Eno, the rest of the artistes like Shudder to Think, Grant Lee Buffalo, The Venus in Furs, Paul Kimble & Andy MacKay, Steve Harley, etc are the kind who produces music which will brighten up your day and make you want to stand up and dance. Thom Yorke likes to make a sudden twist in the middle of solemn sad tunes to give a helluva great fun guitar-jamming rock. Best examples of this can be found in "Ladytron" and "Bittersweet". There is also innovative humorous pieces by the likes of Roxy Music in "Virginia Place" and Jonathan Rhys Meyers in "Baby's On Fire". Also, there is actually one song by Pulp in which the only lyrics are "We are the boys". So you guess what the title of this song is? :) My personal favourite in this powerful compilation is the sole instrumental track "Velvet Spacetime" by Carter Burwell. It is a little bit like the Kitaro's Kojiki-style, and a little like the Good Will Hunting instrumental theme, the type which drifts you back to your memories and you never want to come back again. This album is an amalgam of well-crafted music. [****]

Forever Surreal (Inoue Yosui) Not an exactly new album in Japan, but it is just here in Singapore recently. A beautiful conglomerate of sweet ballads and soft rock pieces from this veteran rocker. The highlights are the two theme songs of the Japanese series "When the Time of Dreaming is Over", with outstanding background vocals. The rest of the album is also filled with carefully-crafted melodies, though the lyrics are plain and similar. A gem. [****]

Fantastic Females (MTV) A delightful 19-track compilation. My favourite track is Anggun's "Snow on the Sahara". Her strong and unique vocal lifts your spirits and arouses your senses. The album also includes other pop hits like Jennifer Paige's "Crush", Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn", Celine Dion's "Immortality", Vonda Shephard's Ally McBeal theme "Searchin' My Soul", Sheryl Crow's "My Favourite Mistake", Meja's "All 'bout the Money", Spice Girls' "Too Much", The Corrs' "Only When I Sleep", etc. And also includes a 7-track VCD of MTVs of "Immortality", "Torn", "Crush", "Snow on the Sahara", etc. Worth it for the bargain price if you haven't been buying the female albums. [***]

Bring It On (Gomez) Excellent album by this new five-guy band which grabbed the Canadian Music Award the moment the 12-track album was released. Songs are all sung separately by two guys, one with the raw weary voice, and the other with the sweetest balladest vocal you have ever heard. Features sounds you have never heard before, the happy tunes fully exploit the fun out of experimental music (Whippin' Picadilly), with lyrics and style similar to Beck's - a mixture of country and lo-fi (Get Miles, 78 Stone Wobble), and they make you just want to get up and dance (or at least tap your feet together with the cheery melodies). Ballads are sung with beautiful vocals comparable to George Michael's (Make No Sound), and the sad tunes are touching enough to make your heart weep. An eye-(and ear)-opener. [*****]

Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie (Alanis Morissette) Though this follow-up to the critically-acclaimed former album "Jagged Little Pill" is less "perfect" and pop-orientated, it is really a wonderful offering from the Queen of Grumbles. Every song in the 17-track side-project-sounding album is screaming out for attention. All the lyrics are very meticulously written, bearing a well-grounded story behind each song. The only problem with all the songs is the lack of a hummable melody (except for some of the more popish songs like "Thank You" and "Sympathetic Character"), this makes the first hearing extremely boring as the music seems to be heading in no specific direction and all the songs sound almost the same. But it is evident that a lot of effort has been put in for this album. The first track "Front Row" is carefully mixed with several "layers" of different melodies and lyrics going on at the same time, and about SEVEN HUNDRED words (wow, longer than my Econs essay) were sung in the four-minute-song. [***`]

Mutations (Beck) This 13-track album is a side project from the Master. Seriously speaking, this album is not as innovative and colorful as the last shocker "Odelay" (THAT was an outrageously EXCELLENT album, and it will be the top album if I were to rank all the albums I have ever heard in my whole life). But considering it is a side project (the real follow-up is coming up next June), it is a well-balanced country-themed album, reminiscent of his previous albums like "Stereopathetic Soulmanure", more mellow and easy-listening. [****]

"Happiness is Guiltless" [Kuai4 Le4 Wu2 Zui4] (Mavis Hee) Probably her best since her second album which shot her to fame, this 12-tracker is well-packed with the usual Mavis style and even more beautiful lyrics and melodies. The songs are also written with some innovation (Chinese songs seldom touch the "sharps" and "flats", but here, some songs exploit them with an oriental beauty) and the "rock" element has been brought in at times. There isn't exactly any fast songs, and I appreciate that, as her last attempt in more fast numbers was indeed a failure (the album "Man4 Yan2"). So, here, you get a collection of slow tunes that touches your heart. Oh yes, the packaging makes it unmissable on the shelves. [****]

The Singles 86>98 (Depeche Mode) If you still haven't bought a single Depeche Mode album (like me), this album is an essential, featuring all the gems like "It's No Good", "Strangelove", etc, and also the new alluring song "Only When I Lose Myself". [****]

The Best of 1980-1990 (U2) With the sudden influx of compilations by renowned artistes, this 2-CD set is one of the best, featuring ALL famous songs of U2 that you have ever heard, and also the re-recorded "Sweetest Thing" that you have been hearing on radio. Excellent album even if you have never heard a single U2 song before. [****`]

EP (Mavis Hee) A 2-CD set featuring 5 Cantonese and 2 Chinese songs, this EP is lousy if you compare it with her past albums. It's the usual Mavis-style (which is good enough). Innovative but non-user-friendly package. [**`]

Live Pub Recording 1998 (Power Station) Buy the one with the "Riding the Storm" soundtrack bonus CD. The title theme is the best. The rest of the 3-CD set (sold at the price of one anyway) is quite good, except the fact that the redubbed Faye Wong song sounds most disgustingly disgusting. One of the guys in the two-guy group sounds better, with a clearer and more expressive vocal, while the other prefers to scream and slang (as is evident in the "Riding the Storm" title theme). It's nevertheless a good effort. [****] for the bonus CD [**`] for the whole album

Japanese/Korean Drama

Shotgun Marriage Light-hearted series about how a couple counter the difficulties when the girl got pregnant. Enjoyable. [***]

Dangerous Relationship Shinji was a top student in school but he ended up as a taxi driver; his rich and arrogant friend Ryuichiro did badly in his studies but returned from his overseas studies to become the president of a well-known minimart chain. Shinji's chance of being recognised for his talents came when he killed Ryuichiro and assumed his identity. As he got used to being the man in power, he learnt to bribe, and also killed his lovely secretary (who fell in love with him) and a detective who found out his true identity. He could have gone on with this luxurious life, but there are some twists. Ryuichiro did not die, and in fact, Ryuichiro killed someone else months before his return. Shinji is going to pay a big price for what he has done, and there is a surprise ending that no one could have expected. The pace of this series is rather slow as the story unravels the inner worlds of the Shinji on his path to becoming a demon, it would be a brilliant series if it were shorter. [****]

Love Revolution A light-hearted series about contemporary love, with loveable characters and interesting prologues to every episode (some mundane things in life that may be laughable but oh-so-true). [****]

Love From a Lie A comedy series with Faye Wong faking documents that she was married to an artist so that she could remain in Japan. Light-hearted and enjoyable, but at times, it may feel redundant and draggy. However, this is Faye Wong we are talking about. We get to see her speak in Mandarin, English and Japanese all at one time. Mark me, she is fluent in all three, even though she didn't understand the Japanese at all. [***]

Endless Love Better known as "Qiu1 Tian1 de Tong2 Hua4", this Korean drama was a hit in all Asian countries. It has a promising start and a brilliant soundtrack, but the rest of the serial is pure drag and melodrama. Lots of patience (and the Forward button) required. [***]

Terms of a Witch This drama serial may have over-glorified the teacher-student relationship, but it dealt with the issue with such intricacy and sensitivity that I have been touched by every episode. Several subplots (the tuition teacher, the tormented schoolgirl, the protective mother...) make the serial even richer and thought-provoking. A brilliant must-see. [*****]

Hero The funniest Japanese serial I have ever watched, with comic-esque moments and witty editing/script. Kimura Takuya [Mucun Tuozai] and Matsu Takako [Song Longzi] are hilarious as they pursue the truths in the various murder cases, and there are several other memorable little characters... the bartender who has everything in his shop, the "Foot-Go" man... Although the later episodes become a little stale, to be fair, the serial is extremely entertaining. A must-watch. [****`]

Invitation A Korean drama revolving around six people and their contemporary ideas towards love. The first few episodes are brilliant works of art, from excellent acting and script to artistic editing and cinematography, but the later parts become very stale and tiring when four of the main characters get entangled in a "love-rectangle" and just refuse to get out of it (and drags on for ten episodes). The last two main characters, however, are always refreshing to watch, with their light-hearted romance and humour. It would have been an excellent drama if it was not so draggy. Lee Young Ae is always nice to look at, though. [***]

GTO This series is all about having fun and funk in the monotonous school life, led by the Great Teacher Onizuka. Jokes are not corny and you get a different focus or storyline on a different student in every episode so it doesn't matter if you missed once. Very enjoyable. [****]

The Ideal Japanese Woman A drama serial which you can see Matsushima Nanako [Songdao Caicaizi] faking a sweetest smile thorughout, as an extremely (almost out-of-this-world) materialistic woman. Her love for money is much exaggerated for dramatic purposes but it is overly done. The story is okay, and it gets better towards the end, when she starts to realise there are things she cannot but with money. [***]

Chronicles of A Century Here you get to see Matsushima Nanako [Songdao Caicaizi] handling roles of three women who lived in different eras of a century. The plot is thin since the whole serial is fragmented into three separate parts, and I think only the last part is very well-done. But what more do you ask when you get to see three different Nanakos in one serial? [***]

Food Frenzy Watch the first episode and the last, and you will realise that are the same, so you did not miss anything in between: A who-can-eat-most competition where the hero is slow at first but catches up in the end to emerge champion. Hmm. Totally missable. [**]

News Lady One of the first Japanese series that does not focus on the topic of Love. Instead, it involves the life of a lady newscaster in the broadcasting scene and the decisions she had to make when she realised that the news she was reporting was not truly true. A light-hearted and unambitious dessert. [***`]

Love Generation The first few episodes felt like Long Vacation, then it got better, but turned boring by the end when Matsu Takako [Songlongzi] 's character kept getting jealous at everything for every episode. It would have been better if the series is cut short. [***`]

Long Vacation Undeniably, this is a classic. Probably because it involves a great deal in music, no other serial has ever touched me as much as this did. Uncountable classic lines, great piano music, excellent actors, tearjerking moments, humorous atmosphere... what more need I say? [*****]

The Sun Shines Forever While this is a touching series about a teenager who goes on an investigation on the death of his mother, suspected to have died because of a mistake by the hospital, it is far too long and most of the episodes are really just "fill-ins". The romance between the leads and the relationship between the lead and the lawyer could have been explored further too. The end theme 'Journey' by the lead Takizawa Hideaki [Longze Xiuming] is Beatles-que and extremely charming. [***]

Over Time Never has a series, in any language, given such an in-depth investigation into the boundaries of love and platonic friendship (except probably Long Vacation). A tom-boy confides with a guy who treats her as a buddy while both of them are already attached, only to find out that they are fallen in love with each other. The choices that they make in the end are most unexpected. With vivid characterisations and uncountable memorable details, this series is worth repeated viewings. Featuring beautiful songs by The Brilliant Green and a powerful cast, this series touches you with its sincerity amidst the laughters. [*****]

The Jikembo of Young Kindaiichi 1 & 2 With its one-episode-one-story fast pace, this series is excellent for Kindaiichi fans like me. For beginners, you should try not to wonder why the characters are always trapped in the murder scene (due to a broken bridge, or stranded on a deserted island, etc) until the murder case is solved. True to the comic plots, this series is exciting, mind-boggling and sometimes, touching. Best for those who don't like to feel obliged to follow every episode. [****]

Beautiful Life Starring the beautiful Tokiwa Takako [Changpan Guizi] as Kyoko and the very popular 'Levi-boy' Kimura Takuya [Mucun Tuozai] as Shuji, this series is about how a couple found love in each other despite the fact that the girl (Takako) is crippled. Sure, the plot sounds old-fashioned, but the series is very touching and extremely meticulous in the intricate details, like the red shoes that Kyoko only wore once. You will start to realise the many things we have taken for granted in life, the sacrifices needed in such a relationship, the self-depreciation involved, and the difficulties and inconveniences of being a differently-abled. Very successful portrayals of the supporting roles of the loveable protective brother of Kyoko (played by Watabe Atsuro [Dubu Dulang]) and the detestable hairstylist-rival of Shuji (played by Nishiwaka Takanori [Xichuan Guijiao]). Don't be put off by the disastrous hairstyle of Takako at the start, as Takuya, playing a famous hair stylist, will tame her hair very soon... The ending is predictable, but it still touches your heart nonetheless. An honest piece of work. A tearjerker. Topped in the box office in Japan. [****`]

Ice World Starring the lean and attractive Takenouchi Yutaka [Zhuyenei Feng] (from 'Beach Boys') and the demure beauty Matsushima Nanako [Songdao Caicaizi] (last seen in Japanese movie 'The Ring'; a great pull-factor indeed!), this beautifully-shot series is slightly disappointing. It's an investigation on a woman (Toko, played by Nanako) who had three fiances who died after they have bought and subsequently cancelled an insurance, with her as the beneficiary. Each character have been dealt in depth: Toko, Eiki (Yutaka), Ujou (played by Nakamura Toru [Zhongcun Heng], last seen in the Chinese movie, 'Gen X Cops'), Nanami, Sonoe, Masako, Tsukiko,... details of their lives give us a 3-dimensional view of the scenerio in the investigation. The first few episodes are very addictive, being very promising (I loved the setting) and mysterious, putting out several questions to drive you to watch on, but the episodes that follow later are merely repetitions of those that have been said earlier; some episodes can be safely skipped without any significant loss of knowledge to the series. The 'real murderer' is only revealed at the last episode, and trust me, you couldn't have guessed that it was him/her since there was not a single hint that could have suggested it (unless you did it by elimination). If the series were to be shortened it could have been much better. As an added note, the theme song 'Diamond Dust' by Himuro Kyosuke [Bingshi Jingjie] is a gem. (See 'Albums' section for the review on his album.) [***`]

Heaven's Coins (or Die Sterntaler) This touching series by Noriko Sakai [Jiujing Fazi] (as Aya Kuramoto), Takao Osawa [Takao Dachi] (as Shuichi Nagai) and Yutaka Takenouchi [Zhuyenei Feng] (as Takumi Nagai) was so good that it spawned a sequel. Just after Shuichi promised to marry Aya when he came back from Tokyo, he fell down the elevator together with Shoko and lost his memory. While in search of Shuichi, Aya met Shuichi's brother Takumi, who had always been living under the shadows of his elder brother. In the meantime, Shoko also fell in love with Shuichi. Together with the subplots of the parents of the Nagai brothers and a senior doctor Miwa, this series makes all 12 episodes rich and emotional. However, the story is too dramatic. [****]

Love 2000 Starring the wholesome hunk Kaneshiro Takeshi [Jincheng Wu] (from the Chinese 'Chungking Express' fame) and oriental sweetpie Nakayama Miho [Zhongshan Meisui] (who appeared in the excellent movie 'Love Letter'), this series is about the unlikely and 'dangerous' love between a spy and a computer engineer. The plot is unbearably thin and the pace is unbearably slow, despite all the hyper-hype. It's a disappointment, through and through, and even the strong cast couldn't help. On the other hand, the theme 'Forbidden Love' by S.E.N.S., is impressive for being able to evoke dramatic emotions even though the tune is so simple... rather ingenious. Not forgetting the very popular theme song 'Yesterday & Today' by Do As Infinity. (See 'Albums' section for their reviews.) [**`]

TV

Malcolm in the Middle "Yes, no, maybe, I don't know - can you repeat the question? You're not the boss of me now, you're not the boss of me now, you're not the boss of me now and you're not so big. Life is unfair."... Malcolm is a boy who never fails to get into trouble together with his two younger brothers. He is also a genius who can tell you in a second the natural logarithm of the sqaure root of 36247234, and he is afraid that he will be an outcast in his family for being such a "freak". His elder brother is a love machine who is sent to military school by his mother in order to stay out of trouble. His mother is one who tells off young couples smooching in the parks and tortures her children by hanging them upside down for burning her dress. His father is a no-brainer who cooks the hamburgers and sausages in a vegetarian picnic. Such is the setting for the brilliant series that never fails to send me rolling on the floor laughing - the family never fails to upset everything everywhere they go. Simply hilarious and unmissable, every episode. TCS5, Wednesdays, 8p.m. [*****]

Money Undeniably the best drama series TCS (and SBC) has ever made. If Ally McBeal gave you a bittersweet feeling after all the laughter and cruel realism, Money gives you the same thing without the 'bitterness'. It's just 'feel-good'! The story revolves around 5 main characters: Sonny (Pierre Png), Ricky, Eugene, Lisa and Stephanie. Their weird love relationships and the issues of manhood are discussed in good humor, and you will be smiling throughout the whole show, as it is so Singaporean yet so elegantly (and beautifully) shot like a movie. There is consistent natural acting by the whole cast (Ricky is just so funny with his innocent blinking of his eyes) and the script for each episode is extremely well-written. I have been a loyal follower of this series since its first episode, and I hope you will start tuning in if you still haven't. TCS5, Mondays, 10.30 p.m. [*****]

Spin I used to be prejudiced against this series as I thought it was a commercial spin-off of Friends (which, in my opinion, nothing can beat it). But it was not. This series discusses serious issues like abortion, teenage relationships, premarital sex and parental influence in an approachable way, without making fun of them or taking them any lightly. Revolving around a bunch of polytechnic students (Medaline Tan, Elaine Cheah, E.J., Keagan Kang, etc) who each has their own (family, love, academic) problems, they offer to help each other out whenever anyone is in need of help. Occasional 'bitching' among the girls and some little fights among the guys, but most of the time, the series get you involved with the problem-solving and induce you to re-evaluate some of your values and viewpoints about certain things you might have taken for granted in life. School life is not just about parties and books. TCS5, Tuesday, 8.30 p.m. [****]

PCK Pte Ltd This new season has lost its lustre since Phua Chu Kang (Gurmit Singh) and his family started to speak proper English. It is just more restrained, and when there used to be corny self-mocking Singlish jokes, now there are only corny jokes (in proper English). I used to follow every episode as they were simply hilarious, but now the series has become missable since Margaret (Tan Kheng Hua) has learnt the correct pronounciation of Aloysius (not a-loy-sius, but eh-loo-i-sius). Despite the above criticisms, PCK still promises good laughter as the cast is simply marvellous and full of funny-chemistry, just not as much -- not as heartily. TCS5, Tuesdays, 8 p.m. [*****] for past seasons, but for this, [***`]

Games

Theme Hospital Extremely addictive. Simple to play, yet requires experience to master the arts of managing a hospital. Some tips here: To keep the frequency of epidermics low, build more GP office so that the crowd is smaller and possibility of infection is lower. If you are getting vomit virus in the hospital, get more handymen to specialise in sweeping the floor, you get highly rewarded for keeping the hospital clean anyway. Put more plants and radiators in the corridors to keep your patients happy and warm. Do not send patients to research if you are getting the "negative response for auto-autopsy". Enjoy the fun! [****`]

Xin1 Yi3 Tian1 Tu2 Long2 Ji4 (Episode 1) This is a very short game which you can complete in less than a day, so you don't have to keep track of the potions you are drinking. Just drink when you want to. There is also only one place to buy armor and stuff, so spend all you want there too. If you wish to explore the secret area, you will need to feed a chicken till it's full and it will give you a piece of rock which will open up a cave later in the Kunlun caverns. Here, you will get lots of good stuff, and it would be better still if you found the amulet hidden in the first area in Wudang, as you will get an extra defence amulet in this secret area which will make your last battle chicken-feat. Else, the last battle (which is a non-stop series of around ten fights) may pose some problems. Wonderful graphics, simple to play, but sometimes I feel like a chemist as I had to mix potions so very often in order to go on in the game. [***]

Final Fantasy VII A must play. With its sophisticated gameplay, excellent graphics and extensive plot, you will be missing out a lot if you don't! [****`]

Diablo II Expansion: Lord of Destruction With the addition of Act V in Harrogath and two new character classes of Druid and Assassin, this expansion pack got me playing on the Battlenet again. Act V is harder than any of the previous acts, with large map areas and more creatures to overcome. The quest rewards are however much more rewarding. The druid, though like the necromancer he could summon several pets to fight for him, they are much weaker. His elemental and shapeshifting skills however make up for this. The assassin, on the other hand, is a surprisingly powerful character, being extremely swift with her claws, traps and shadow discipline. Several other changes have also been made to the existing character classes, now that each has a class-specific item, and runes, charms and a larger stash are also available. Only thing is, if you are not a fan of Diablo, you will not likely be attracted to this expansion since you will still need to clear the same four acts in classic Diablo II all over again... [****]

Diablo: Demonsbane (Robert B. Marks) This is not a game, but an ebook based on the very popular cult game. With only 120 pages (costing only US$5), you can finish this ebook in just a while but it is rather hard to do so, as the written style is rather fragmented and not very interesting. The whole book is just okay, neither trashy nor brilliant, but I guess no one would have given the book a single look if not for its title. The whole book feels like just a chapter for its lack of content and depth. Strictly for Diablo fans only. Cameo appearances by Tyrael. [**`]

Diablo II Diablo was great, and Diablo II is even better. With five characters to choose from (Paladin, Sorceror, Necromancer, Amazon, Barbarian), you will be attributed with different skills to train for. Diablo II is based at four beautiful locations in four acts: the Rogue Encampment is a land of greeneries and stone fields, Lut Gholein is a desert, Kurast Docks is a forested area, and the final battleground is a dungeon at The Pandemonium Fortress. There are 6 quests to complete in each act, except in Act IV, where there are only 3. There is also a Secret Cow Level at the Moo Moo Farm where you can kill herds of cows (Hell Bovine) and pick up several special items --- only after you've beaten final king Diablo and have transmuted Wirt's Leg and a Tome of Town Portal. Diablo II is very replayable, since each character is able to learn almost completely different skills, the strategies in gameplay will be greatly varied. You may want to collect the random 'set items' (items in green) as having the whole set increases the power of all. 'Rare items' (yellow), and especially 'unique items' (gold), are also a great bonus to your attacks and defences. When I was a Paladin, I got the unique 'Lunata Pelta' Buckler early in Act I and it was powerful enough to last me throughout the whole game. Loved 'Thorns' of the Paladin, 'Corpse Explosion' of the Necromancer, 'Blaze' of the Sorceress, 'Strafe' of Amazon and 'Leap Attack' of Barbarian... In conclusion, Diablo II is an epic. A must-play. [****`]

Clue Chronicles I: The Fatal Illusion This is a simplistic detective game to investigate the mysterious deaths of Boddy and Masque. Set in only three places (the ship, the cable car, and the mansion), this game can be finished in one day. Vivid characters Scarlet, Peacock, Mustard, Green, White, Plum, Sabata, Urfe, Mustard and Popov are your prime suspects as you interact with them and solve the riddles to find the six jewels to open the sacrophagus of truth. Sometimes you learn to perform magic tricks, and at some points you learn to hypotise someone to help him recall. Most puzzles are very easy but some (like the blue jewel game) can be more difficult. Loading is extremely slow, and the game sometimes hangs after you save. But the graphics and animations are nice, and the game is simply too short for you to complain much about. [***]

Might & Magic VIIII: Day of the Destroyer The mission is to reach the pirates of Regna through the Dagger Wound Islands and foul their plans, form the Alliance between the different races (Necromancers of Shadowspire, Clerics of Murmurwoods, Dragons and Dragon Hunters of Garrote Gorge, and Minotaurs of Balthazar Lair in Ravage Roaming), and find Escaton the Destroyer at the Plane Between Planes through the Crystal Portal in Ravenshore (opened with the Conflux Key made from the heartstones of the elemental planes in the lands of Jadame) and save the elemental lords held in the prisons so that they may destroy their captor Escaton to bring peace to the world of Jadame again. Gameplay-wise, MM8 is a replica of MM7 in every way except that now you get to recruit your characters, unlike the case where characters are pre-determined at start of game. With the addition of the Adventurer's Inn at Ravenshore and Dagger Wounds, and 35 NPCs (of 8 classes: Knight, Necromancer, Cleric, Dark Elf, Vampire, Dragon, Troll, Minotaur) for you to choose from at various stages of the game, this game will quite easy if you got Cauri Blackthorne (Dark Elf) of the Murmurwoods at the early part of the game since she has got Master level in all the elemental spells (and a well-equipped Master spellbook) and there is no prerequisite for her to join you. This episode of the MM series is very short compared to its predecessors; while it took a full month for me to clear the earlier games, this one only took me less than a week. Though there are nine maps in all (Murmurwoods, Alvar, Ironsand Desert, Garotte Gorge, Ravenshore, Shadowspire, Ravage Roaming/Balthazar Lair, Dagger Wound Islands and Regna), the maps are rather small and empty. There is a new look to the weapons and armours, but the creatures still look pretty much the same (except the Ruby Dragons and Nightmares), only with nicer names. They are also seemingly easier to kill, even the Behemoths (which used to be a problem, and now known as Chaos Protectors) are very weak. And I think no creature here is immune to Paralyse (Light) or Shrinking Ray (Dark), which means you can kill the monsters almost without damage. There hasn't been significant addition of spells except for a few added for the Vampire, Dragon and Dark Elf abilities. As usual, get the spells Town Portal, Fly, Jump, Invisibility and the Light spells (and possibly Lloyd's Beacon etc) early, and you will find that the game is a breeze. If you haven't played MM7, this game is excellent since it is much shorter and easier to start with; if you have played MM7 already, this game is expendable unless you don't wish to miss out the happenings in the MM realms. Watch out for the cameo appearances by Queen Catherine and King Roland reminiscing on their son Prince Nicolas (MM6) and Roland's kidnap (MM7). [***]

Odium Very much like Fallout, except that this game is rather short and the gameplay is pretty much linear. There are several secret areas to reward those who are more observant and are willing to solve some puzzles: you will get some new great weapons that will help a lot since there is only a limited range of weapons featured in this game. Make sure you get the flamethrower and shocker, which is in my opinion the most important weapons in this game. Though the ion cannon is much better, but you will only get it near the end of the game. Remember the immunities of the different species too since you will not want to miss your turn dealing zero damage since sometimes you are required to complete a battle in a stipulated number of turns (or else the bomb will explode!). I would recommend that you don't invest too much in building up your NPCs since they will eventually leave you. It is great fun due to its simple gameplay. Some parts can also be challenging if you employed the wrong strategy, though the last king was ironically the easiest monster to kill. Highly recommended! [****`]

"The Twin Heroes" [Xin1 Jue2 Dai4 Shuang1 Jiao1] Finally a brilliant RPG after "The Heroes of Jinyong". Even with 3D graphics, the loading time is reasonably short. Together with meticulous characterisation and extremely rich storyline, this game is excellent for its colorful graphics and creative gameplay. There is a system of potion-making, and many skills for you to learn, whether in strategy or in combat. You can also choose to equip special items. There are also several secret encounters in the game for you to gain special items or extra experience points. For example, you can get an extra Break Invinsible from the body of The Bat at Emeishan; you can buy Golden Bell Shield from the acrobats at Chunyuelou Houyuan; you get extra exp from Haisidie when you talk to him on the way to Shiyuedao; Mr Honest, who is hiding behind a tree at Sihaizhen will give you a quest which will reward you with $52000 and other special items; you can also fight the five monsters at Eight Doors (Earth) and get access to a secret message which tells you that there is an Ultimate Monster in the forest... all these make gameplay extremely fun. There are some slight bad points too. Spanning 4 discs and requiring a minimum of 600MB harddisk space (the game crashes very often if you don't have extra space after installation), it is rather clumsy sometimes when you wish to travel between places that are recorded on different discs. Also, entering different areas and rooms will require a loading time which deters you from 'roaming' too often. This RPG is a turning point for Chinese games, and it is definitely unmissable. [****`]

Might and Magic VII - For Blood and Honor This is exactly like MM6, with no improvements in graphics, and only some slight changes in gameplay. Now you can't just learn any spell or make any potion --- you have to gain certain levels to get hold of the better spells and potions. There are also some new potions (now you have the cataysts and a whole new complex system of potion mixing, and potions now have a Power counter), spells (eg. Immolation, Berserk, etc) and creatures (eg. Gogs, Neocromancers, Griffins, Trolls, etc). Unlike MM6 where you have thousand of quests to solve and some of them are really unimportant subquests, MM7 quests are mostly essential quests to let you gain your promotions. Also, now you can right-click on the map to see the names of the buildings. Besides all these really minor changes, MM7 is really just MM6, with a different set of quests, towns and storyline. You still see the many familiar cave structures, dragons, old magic spells (Town Portal, Lloyd Beacon, Fly, Waterwalk... yes, they are still here!), secret doors and irritating peasants who always block your way (though now you can choose to Yell at them and get them to scram). Also like MM6, MM7 is full of bugs: there are ways that you can gain infinite artifacts, relics, money and experience without even using the cheat codes. To conclude, if you liked MM6, and don't mind going through all the long quests again, this game is terrific, since this is just like an expansion pack for MM6. But the fact that 3DO did so little to improve is quite a disappointment. [***`]

Heroes of Might and Magic III - The Restoration of Erathia If you liked the "Heroes of Might and Magic" series, this new episode from NWC will be a delight. Though without the 3D graphics which are flooding the game industry right now (and are making game-playing ridden with slow speed), the colourful and animated graphics are the best ever in HOMM history. Also, there are more creatures (Gogs, Behemoths, Thunderbirds, Efreets, Pegasi, Wyverns, etc, just to name a few): some new ones are extremely stupid while some old characters have been improved. Just look out for the Imps when they move, you will laugh till you drop. The Titans are weaker now, and there are new creatures like the Angels and Devils (the latter being quite useless also). Gameplay is still the same turn-based format, some old structures have been removed (moat) while some new ones have been added (war machine factory), and different buildings can be built in different castle-types (tower, castle, dungeon, inferno, etc). Not forgetting the new spells (eg. Implosion, which originated from Might & Magic VI, is the most powerful spell. And yes, Dimension Door and Fly are here too) and artifacts (which in my opinion are not very helpful). There are 6 campaigns, divided into 3 levels (each level having 3, 2 and 1 campaigns respectively) following a storyline, plus a secret campaign (3 simple scenarios) which you will get after you finish the 6 campaigns. (Campaigns of 3 levels contain 3, 4 and 3 scenarios respectively.) The starting campaigns are more difficult than the later ones, so if you have finished the level 1 campaigns, you have more or less finished the whole game: the level 2 & 3 campaigns and the secret campaign are surprisingly easy to accomplish. Aside from the campaign games, there are many single scenarios for you to play, which makes the game very replayable and will stay in your harddisk for a very long time. Tips for gameplay: Money is the most important at the start, build up your capitol and city halls fast. Next, go conquer as many enemy towns and plunder as many mines as possible at the start regardless of how lousy you may think your armies are (your enemies are much worse, believe me) so that their armies will not build up and make conquering more difficult later. To sum up, this game is as (or more) addictive as the old HOMM games and you will love it even if you have played none of the previous instalments. [****]

"Wind & Cloud" (Feng1 Yun2) Beautiful graphics (reminds me of Diablo), a slightly non-linear storyline (there are some optional secret quests) and a multitude of characters make Fengyun a suitably-sophisticated Chinese RPG game. However, it is sometimes quite irritating when you meet enemies with every 5-6 steps you take. The story is also quite messily told, and some puzzles are tedious (there is one where you have to fight through a hundred-men formation) and almost impossible (there is one place where you are to light up all the firepans in three levels of the dungeon EXCEPT a specific two). Also, at times no clues are given as to what exactly the next mission is. Loading time is considered fast compared to games like Final Fantasy VII, though not faster than games like Diablo. However, it takes quite some time to load up the elaborate graphics when your enemies or you are using a limit power. It's a game worth playing nonetheless. [***`]

Fallout 2 An improvement on the already perfect Fallout, a continuation from where Fallout ended when you got cast out from the community. With more NPCs to enrol (13 NPCs are available, but you can only choose 4 of them at most, depending on your Charisma and Luck), now you can also control some of their combat options. But this time round, it is more difficult to get money, and combat seems more challenging as well. There are additions of new creatures like the geckos (nice cutie lizards that are ferocious), and there are also new perks to learn (like Sex Appeal which will attract the opposite sex and make the people of your same sex jealous of you), and you can now own a car to travel faster and to store your lodgings. You can even visit a brothel and screw a prostitute/gigolo, or even do It with a person of your same sex if you wish. Though loading time still hasn't improved, it is still much much better than other drags like Final Fantasy VII. The thing is, it is basically Fallout, so if you have already played Fallout, either you love it for its Fallout-style, or you hate it for having to play something similar all over again. For me, I loved it. [****]