tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74838503364424360102024-03-12T18:01:11.442-07:00To begin, again, etc.,...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16699649488298729455noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7483850336442436010.post-58865416756509559842016-10-29T21:42:00.001-07:002016-10-29T22:01:18.811-07:00Jac Avila's JUSTINE Review<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="background: white; mso-cellspacing: 0in; mso-padding-alt: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 100%px;">
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Director
Jac Avila has created a definitive film version of the Marquis DeSade's
JUSTINE. The film, based on DeSade's famous novel about the misfortunes of
virtue, is in my opinion true to the book's spirit and content in a way no
other version has ever been.<br />
<br />
If, hearing this is a film of DeSade's JUSTINE, you expect
"sadistic" scenes of beautiful women subjected to whippings and other
torturous ordeals, Avila's JUSTINE pulls no punches and will fulfill your
expectations. But you can also approach this movie hungry for a refreshing
tour de force of artistic filmmaking and have your desires fulfilled.<br />
<br />
Avila opens JUSTINE with a startling close-up of Justine's face, beautiful
and innocent, but with a haunted look in her eyes that suggests she has
already been through more horrors than we can imagine and knows the worst is
probably yet to come. Amy Hesketh achieves this effect by looking straight at
you in a certain way that has to be experienced to be understood.<br />
<br />
In the background we hear the ominous pounding of military drums, which
immediately, given the situation, brought to my mind the "March to the
Scaffold" in that great French symphony by Berlioz, SYMPHONIE
FANTASTIQUE. And it was an appropriate association to make, for within
moments, poor Justine is dragged away, bound in an X between two pillars, and
mercilessly flogged, helplessly naked before a crowd of soldiers and elegantly
dressed aristocrats. And, of course, this is only the beginning of what is to
come. </span></div>
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Hesketh again, as in other films, such as Avila's relentlessly realistic
historical horror of Inquisitional terror, MALEFICARUM, pushes her art above
and beyond to achieve another deeply sympathetic and totally convincing
performance. Needless to say, there are no "mambo breaks" for her
in JUSTINE, referring to the delightful Vampire Mambo sequence in OLALLA, the
innovative and persuasively effective Vampire film she recently directed
(available, as is JUSTINE, from <a href="http://vermeerworks.com/" target="_blank">Vermeerworks.com</a>).<br />
<br />
JUSTINE's music, sets, casting, costuming, lighting, editing, and all the
other intricate and vital aspects of quality filmmaking and behind the scenes
production activities are all quite excellent to my mind, but because I am a
writer, I especially appreciated the writing.<br />
<br />
The dialogue has a proper historic quality without being so authentic that
modern ears might have trouble keeping up. This is a tricky effect to pull
off, I guarantee, but JUSTINE does it with style. I especially enjoyed the
narrative remarks spoken directly, from time to time, to the viewer by
Justine, a technique that could have detached the audience from their
involvement in the story if handled by a lesser filmmaker than Avila and
spoken by a lesser actor than Hesketh.<br />
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Bottom line, if you have read DeSade's novel then watched Avila's JUSTINE,
you might be tempted to believe Avila either employed necromancy to resurrect
the corpse of the Marquis long enough to write the screenplay, or that Avila
took dictation from DeSade's ghost.<br />
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I wish I had a time machine back to 1930s Paris and could screen Avila's
JUSTINE for the founders of the Surrealist movement, the poets, philosophers,
filmmakers, and artists. Many fans of DeSade's writing and challenging
philosophy do not realize how important he was to the Surrealists.<br />
<br />
DeSade was plumbing the forbidden depths of the subconscious long before
Freud, and the subconscious is where many dreams are spawned. Dream imagery
as a key to unearthing hidden psychological urges was an important theme of
surrealist expression. To the surrealists, DeSade was an explorer of
forbidden themes and a foe of religious and societal hypocrisy.<br />
<br />
Consider this in connection with Avila's JUSTINE. According to SURREALISM:
PERMANENT REVELATION by Cardinal and Short, the surrealists valued DeSade
"…for his lucid exploration of man's darkest instincts." Avila's
film also explores those instincts, in spades.<br />
<br />
From THE HISTORY OF SURREALIST PAINTING by Marcel Jean, we are told that Luis
Buñuel's film, L'AGE D'OR (AGE OF GOLD), includes the Comte de Blangis, Sade's protagonist in
120 DAYS OF SODOME, appearing as Jesus Christ, and the last image in the film
is of a crucifix to which several women's scalps are nailed. Avila's last
scene of surreal sadism in his JUSTINE, however, takes Buñuel's climactic
image to another level entirely.<br />
<br />
As for the surreal life-death, eros-thanatos juxtapositions in DeSade's
novel and Avila's film, DEATH AND SENSUALITY: A STUDY OF EROTICISM AND THE
TABOO by Georges Bataille says, in a chapter on DeSade, "Life, he
maintained, was the pursuit of pleasure, and the degree of pleasure was in
direct ratio to the destruction of life. In other words, life reached its
highest intensity in a monstrous denial of its own principle." And with
Avila's JUSTINE, this surreal theme is definitively expressed.<br />
<br />
So, yes, I enthusiastically recommend Jac Avila's JUSTINE. I believe that the
Divine Marquis would approve of its challenging, morality- twisting
philosophy and scenes of well-whipped flesh. I think that Luis Buñuel and
Salvador Dali would applaud its surreal juxtapositions of potent imagery. And
I feel that filmmakers can study and learn from Avila's masterful new film
for years to come.<br />
<br />
But most importantly, ordinary blokes like me can just be entertained, gawk
in wonder, and cheer. The right person has finally created a film version of
JUSTINE that brings DeSade's book to uncompromising, throbbing life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">For
full cast and crew and other detailed information on IMDB, use this link: </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6095072/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ql_1" target="_blank">JUSTINE cast and crew</a><o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16699649488298729455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7483850336442436010.post-17223877235486349222016-02-17T17:24:00.000-08:002016-02-17T18:29:18.255-08:00Bathory's Viking Metal Epic, "One Rode to Asa Bay"<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I wrote this on the afternoon of February 17, 2016, and only later that evening realized it was the birthday of Quorthon, about whom this blog is largely concerned. Not just any birthday, either. It would have been his 50th! But he died in 2004. So, wherever you are today, Quorthon, thanks for all the great music! And I hope you are giving 'em Holy Hel in Valhalla! Hail the Bathory Hordes! </span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There is a famous "Viking Metal" song and video titled,
"One Rode to Asa Bay." It was written by the Swedish musician named Quorthon, the stage
name of </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 13.8px;">Tomas Forsberg,</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"> and performed by his rock band, Bathory. "One Rode to Asa Bay" is the last track on the first whole Viking Metal album, HAMMERHEART.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">The song is about
the coming of Christianity to the Northlands. Quorthon is credited with having
created the Viking Metal genre on Bathory's previous album, BLOOD FIRE DEATH, but
there were also remnants of Bathory's previous style of metal music on BLOOD FIRE DEATH.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">In a letter at the time, the late 1980s, Quorthon said he had created Viking Metal as a
reaction to the way his Swedish heritage was being lost to foreign influences that were steadily eroding the native culture of his homeland. That
letter was written when BLOOD FIRE DEATH was being created. The genre he started has grown
and expanded with groups like Amon Amarth, Tyr, Unleashed, and many
more. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">Here is a photograph of Quorthon showing his wearing of Mjolnir, the Hammer of Thor-style pendant that was historically worn by those who called on Thor, and is often worn now by Viking Metal bands and those who still honor the Gods and Goddesses of the North. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">Quorthon died
young in 2004. "One Rode to Asa Bay" is the only
music video made that showed Quorthon and Bathory. Quorthon used his own money to produce the video. It is a
true "labor of love" and shows his dedication to his heart-felt art. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAQs7-gzlz0" target="_blank">Link to the full, official "One Rode to Asa Bay" music video. </a></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Rode_to_Asa_Bay" target="_blank">"One Rodeto Asa Bay" Wikipedia</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammerheart" target="_blank">HAMMERHEART Wikipedia</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_Fire_Death" target="_blank">BLOOD FIRE DEATH Wikipedia</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">People have asked me why Quorthon dedicated "One Rode to Asa Bay" to me. The short answer is, he did it because of the Hel Books. <a href="http://deanandersson.blogspot.com/2014/03/hel-x-3-authors-cut-of-hel-triliogy.html" target="_blank">Link to Hel Books information </a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The long answer about why Quorthon dedicated Bathory's famous Viking Metal song to me is as follows. <br /><br />I was working on a horror novel about Elizabeth Bathory, the historical Blood Countess of Hungary. As the writing progressed, I saw a magazine that had the word "Bathory" on the cover. There was an article in it about the Swedish rock band Bathory. It was the first time I had heard of them. <br /><br />My father was born in Sweden, and Swedish things interested me. I bought Bathory's album, UNDER THE SIGN OF THE BLACK MARK. There was a song on it about Elizabeth Bathory, "Woman of Dark Desires." I wanted to use a quote from the song in the front of my novel about the Blood Countess, RAW PAIN MAX. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I wrote a letter to Bathory asking for permission to quote from the song. Quorthon wrote back and gave his permission. In thanks, I sent him the Hel Books. They had a Scandinavian Mythological setting. Quorthon said he enjoyed them. <br /><br />The Hel Books were originally published under a pen name, Asa Drake. Later, when Bathory's HAMMERHEART was released, I discovered "One Rode to Asa Bay" was dedicated to me in reference to the Asa Drake Hel Books. </span><br />
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Art by Boris Vallejo. <br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16699649488298729455noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7483850336442436010.post-5873329560575403452016-02-02T02:11:00.000-08:002016-02-08T12:58:58.350-08:00Review of Park Hyo Min's Japanese movie, JINX!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I originally wrote a review of this film for its IMDB site. This new blog review has slight differences.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.03px;">Korean actor Park Hyomin created an endearing and memorable character playing Ji-Ho, a Korean exchange student in Japan. The film's subtitle, "90 Days to Say I Love You," hints at the plot. Here is a photo from the film showing Ji-Ho (Hyomin) between the two reluctant lovers. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.03px;">Ji-Ho is determined to get a withdrawn Japanese friend and the equally withdrawn boy the friend loves together, because Ji-Ho's boyfriend in Korea, as we see at the first, has died in a tragic accident, and Ji-Ho wants her new friend to find the happiness that Ji-Ho herself has lost. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.03px;">The bittersweet theme does not stop the film from having great good humor, and the ending is positive and uplifting. It is a charming romantic comedy. Its exploration into the nature of grief and how to cope with the pain of great loss never devolves into sentimentality. And Hyomin's touching portrayal of Ji-Ho, hiding her wounded soul beneath a smiling, happy face, keeps you caring and, at the end, just might have you cheering. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.03px;">Hyomin and the other members of T-ARA, the Korean pop music band of which she remains an important part, all have personally experienced the necessity to hide inner pain behind a smiling face, for both professional and personal reasons, and their tragic, unjust experiences in that regard must have contributed to the understanding with which Hyomin portrayed the wounded but heroic Ji-Ho. Here is an interview with Hyomin when JINX!!! was released. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b963ngg4e_I&feature=player_embedded">Interview with Hyomin</a></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.03px;">Here is a link to a trailer for JINX!!! with English subtitles.<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A2M1ICTzZ0"> </a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A2M1ICTzZ0" target="_blank">JINX!!! Trailer with English Subs</a></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.03px;">Hyomin </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.03px;">remains an important member of the superstar K- Pop group, T-ARA (pronounced Tiara). She </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.03px;">won a MBC Best Female New Comer Drama Award in 2011 for her role in the Korean historical drama, Gyebaek. She debuted as a solo artist in 2014 with the hit, "Nice Body." </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.03px;">In 2015 she was the female lead in a Korean web drama titled, "When You Are in Love, It Rains."</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.03px;"> She</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.03px;"> returned as a solo artist in Spring of 2016.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16699649488298729455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7483850336442436010.post-38217907523982381792014-12-07T22:17:00.002-08:002014-12-08T11:56:22.172-08:00My review of OLALLA, Amy Hesketh's new Vampire film.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Amy Hesketh’s OLALLA would have become a favorite film of
mine even without the Vampires. And I know my female Vampires.<o:p></o:p></div>
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DRACULA’S DAUGHTER was my first (Vampire film). She seduced
me when I was a kid, did it right there in my house with mom and dad sleeping
in the next room and me sneaking a look at the late late show on TV. My next,
one BLACK SUNDAY evening, in the balcony of an old Fox Movie Palace, was Princess Asa of the royal Moldavian House of Vaida.
Asa, played by the ferociously beautiful Barbara Steele, changed my outlook on
life (and Witches and the Undead). Then there was BLOOD AND ROSES, DAUGHTERS OF
DARKNESS, REQUIEM FOR A VAMPIRE, TWINS OF EVIL, THE VAMPIRE LOVERS, LUST FOR A
VAMPIRE, COUNTESS DRACULA, LA COMTESSE NOIR, VAMP, ONCE BITTEN, QUEEN OF THE DAMNED, and Jac Avila’s recent macabre masterpiece, DEAD BUT
DREAMING. The point is, my long list of Famous Female Vampires of Film-dom is extensive and could be continued, on and on. <o:p></o:p></div>
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But Olalla is a Vampire like no other, and OLALLA is a
Vampire film like no other. The movie thumbs its nose at almost every establishment
Vampire tradition. No Danse Macabre for these Vampires. No. But there is Mambo!
No sucking of blood from neat little puncture wounds on the throat. But there
is chilled blood in the fridge sipped from fine crystal. Or, if you’re Olalla, the
black sheep of the clan, you occasionally do it the old fashioned way, rip out the
throats of your victims, and leave a bloody mess. Not good, in a family determined, for good reasons, to avoid attracting attention.<o:p></o:p></div>
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You don’t have to be a non-conformist Vampire to identify
with Olalla. Are your tastes in clothing styles a little unusual? Does your
career choice garner disdain and disapproval? Have you discovered your sexual
preferences violate some arbitrary definition of “normal?” How about your taste
in music? Art? Books. Videos? Food? Hobbies? Whatever? There’s a little Olalla in all of
us.<o:p></o:p></div>
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With its roots in a story by Robert Louis Stevenson (the guy
who wrote “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”), Olalla is portrayed with a sly
undercurrent of self-deceptive innocence by Hesketh herself. She yearns to be
an ordinary woman and go shopping, but she does not have “ordinary” in, umm,
well, in her blood. She tries but cannot long stand to pretend, like the rest
of her family does, not even after the repeated encouragements of a skillfully
applied riding crop, wielded by the family’s dedicated enforcer, Felipe, played
with exquisite intensity by Jac Avila (hard-ass to the max, but with Olalla’s
best interests seething in his Vampire-heart). Tough love, thy name is Felipe. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Felipe is convincingly and sympathetically portrayed in
flashbacks as Avila’s younger self by Alejandro Loayza. He has worried about
Olalla’s well-being, and that of his family, since childhood (in OLALLA, Vampires age, but slowly). Felipe’s sense of
responsibility for his family’s well being is a heavy burden, especially
considering what happened to Olalla’s mother (played in heart-wrenching
flashbacks by Hesketh, too). <o:p></o:p></div>
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Let me tell you, I was pulling for mom and could hardly
stand to watch her ending. Yes, Hesketh, both as actor and director, is so good
that she did a number on jaded horror movie watcher me. Not that I’m
complaining, but no one deserves to die that way (though thousands, maybe
millions have, over the centuries), especially not a good-hearted mother,
Vampire or not! It’s those damned villagers with their pointed sticks! And
torches. Superstitious fools! <o:p></o:p><br />
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And how dare the leader, played with suitably manic
enthusiasm by Eric Calancha, whip her so much? Sure, his fear makes him
merciless, but over and over his whip marks her flesh…until, hey! That’s enough!
Well, maybe just one more…but no one looks away! No one averts their eyes, not
even me, from her pain and her shame as the flames rise higher and her screams
grow more frantic. And the heartbreaking, heroic way she tries to endure it and
accept it then gives up and starts desperately wrenching on her ropes. Won’t
anyone show her some mercy? Won’t someone cut her loose in time? Oh! The
flames! <i>They’re coming from her now!</i>
It’s too late! But meanwhile, back in the present day— <o:p></o:p></div>
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Olalla’s sister, Ofelia, cares about the family, too, and is
fed up with her sister’s antics, endangering them all. Ofelia remembers all too
well what happened to their mother. Mila Joya plays Ofelia as a playfully seductive
predator, with a subtle undercurrent that made me wonder just how many throats
she herself had ripped out, in secret, without telling anyone, and never
getting caught. <o:p></o:p></div>
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But then there are the ordinary men who fall in love with
the extraordinary Olalla and her mom. Luis Almanza’s Nathan and Cristian Del
Rio’s Roberto cannot resist! Moths to the flames! The way those characters were
played made me identify with them, worshipping each their own version of la
belle dame sans merci, because maybe, just maybe, Hesketh herself will be
merciful, maybe this time, love will find a way, maybe she’s not la belle
director sans merci…yeah, right!<o:p></o:p></div>
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She has no mercy on her audience when it comes to creating other
unforgettable characters, either. If the two uncles, played in fascinating synchronicity
by Beto Lopez and Fermin Nuñez don’t steal the show, Erix Antoine’s Bruno does.
The aunt, Maria Esther Arteaga, is a blessedly calm center of respectability,
but what can she do amid all the rest? Is this old and rather decadent, in a
dignified way, family doomed? Well, maybe not! After all, who among us can deny
that Beto’s extended, unhurried, detailed explanation of what a “muffin” is and
is not is alone worth its weight in butter running down your chin and, in my
opinion, gives this family all the socially redeeming value they need to
justify their continued existence. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Bottom line, having been dominated by females (Vampire-films-wise),
I have been waiting for OLALLA most of my life. But thanks to Amy Hesketh, its award-winning
writer, director, star, and to Jac Avila and all the rest at Pachamama Films,
none of us have to wait any longer. Three cheers and all the first magnitude
stars in a star atlas for OLALLA! Just don’t watch NOSFERATU with her, okay?
But if you do, at least do not talk through the film in an attempt to impress
her with how well-versed you are in NOSFERATU film-lore. It’s not a good idea.
Believe me. You’ll be sorry…heh heh heh...Hesketh!<o:p></o:p><br />
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Trailer for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5pBdXal7yo" target="_blank">OLALLA</a>:<br />
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Find OLALLA here! <a href="http://vermeerworks.com/" target="_blank">VERMEERWORKS</a><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16699649488298729455noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7483850336442436010.post-50619901520553035072014-07-14T05:26:00.000-07:002016-02-06T11:04:35.522-08:00HYO MIN: "The 'ROCKY' of K-POP"<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="background: white; color: #37404e; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif";">"It was so hard for me,</span><span style="color: #37404e; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif";"><br />
<span style="background: white;">You have no idea how much I worked for
you."</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">--excerpt from the English lyrics to Hyo Min's
"Nice Body" solo debut</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #37404e; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif";"><span style="background: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzGlVN71a85IzmahZlogPvpO5eSU8m7jMVd51Uev0H0PwfeWpHR_qYtOQ_R7mtIB_b8I_HfpuTw0cPCvGd4TOSCkI0I8UI87rgjphs7T3pGSAWmjrFnMjs6iAu9AeiVKUB6prdmfqOz8sE/s1600/HyominStallone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="353" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzGlVN71a85IzmahZlogPvpO5eSU8m7jMVd51Uev0H0PwfeWpHR_qYtOQ_R7mtIB_b8I_HfpuTw0cPCvGd4TOSCkI0I8UI87rgjphs7T3pGSAWmjrFnMjs6iAu9AeiVKUB6prdmfqOz8sE/s640/HyominStallone.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #37404e; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif";"><span style="background: white;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MfQRWeXN_M" target="_blank"> Hyo Min, Loco, "Nice Body" Music Video</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #37404e; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif";"><span style="background: white;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R472WMpoFsU">"Nice Body" (Dance Version with English Subtitles)</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #37404e; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif";"><span style="background: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #37404e; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif";"><span style="background: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #37404e; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif";"><span style="background: white;">The following is why, with all respect, I call </span></span><span style="font-family: "gulim" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>박효민 (Park Hyo Min) </b></span><span style="color: #37404e; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif";"><span style="background: white;">"The 'Rocky' of K-Pop." She is known to millions, of course, as one of the original members of the K-Pop group T-ARA (pronounced "tiara"), a group who is internationally popular and has even performed for royalty, among other distinctions and accomplishments. This review of Hyo Min's solo debut in 2014, "Nice Body," is derived<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="textexposedshow">from variously publicly available articles and video clips and interviews. As such, I acknowledge that, like the object of the K-Pop song, "Bad Girl Good Girl," made famous by the group, Miss A, I should probably "shut up, boy," because I don't know Hyo Min, personally, and I was not involved in any way in the creation of her solo debut's music video, but nevertheless, having had more than a slight touch of "showbiz" in my own life, and because I suspect that many people do not know what she went through to create this solo debut, here we go. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #37404e; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif";"><span style="background: white;">
<br />
<span class="textexposedshow">So, Hyo Min, you work long and hard perfecting
dance moves and singing performances, taking risks that may or may not pan out,
putting your sweat and creative blood into the process, knowing that the
results are going to be seen and examined and analyzed for the slightest flaws
by millions of viewers.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="textexposedshow">Then, because you feel that your already fit and
toned dancer's body needs to be made even better, to fully actualize the
concept of the "Nice Body" song chosen for your solo debut, and to be
faithful to the spirit of the lyrics, you challenge yourself to endure
cross-fitness, Olympic-caliber exercises that includes training with weights,
leaving you sick with muscle pain the first week, but you bear the pain and
keep going.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="textexposedshow">Then you discover the exercises have added enough
muscle mass that your costumes and clothes no longer fit the way you want, so
you put yourself through a stringent lemon-detox diet to re-fit your new,
stronger body into your clothes and to cleanse your system for the stressful debut
promo process, one week before it begins.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="textexposedshow">And for the proper "break with the past"
effect, you cut off your trademark long hair that you admit to having
cherished, and die it blond, hoping your fans will still accept it and you (and
they do).</span><br />
<br />
<span class="textexposedshow">Until finally you are ready to debut your solo,
whose success is important for yourself AND your T-ARA sisters, debut it,
literally, because of the Internet, TO THE WORLD--in your one chance to
"get it right," so that millions can watch and deem your efforts
"cute" and have fun experiencing what you and all those on your
"team"--who are also depending on you to succeed--have created.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="textexposedshow">And because of the lyrics of the song and the
unique dreamy Chopin piano prologue and epilogue you added, showing the glitzy
and fun middle part to be the DREAM OF A BETTER LIFE in the mind of a woman
(you, in extreme make-up--like the EP's title, MAKE UP) who needs (and, deep
inside, WANTS) better health, you maybe dare to hope that some viewers will be
INSPIRED by the song and video to exercise and FIGHT BACK and WORK to improve
themselves, like Rocky Balboa did in the famous, award-winning film.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="textexposedshow">But! All that was EASY compared to what you must
survive BEFORE the debut...standing alone--truly ALONE-- before the PRESS! And
remaining poised, remaining calm, being charming and respectfully humble and as
always, attractive, smiling, positive, and “cool,” hoping that some inadvertent
mis-step doesn't scuttle the whole project before it begins...not much stress
there, either, right?</span><br />
<br />
<span class="textexposedshow">Does that sum it all up, at least on the surface,
maybe, just a little, Hyo Min?</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
<br />
<span class="textexposedshow">Wow. Being a pop star "idol" is
definitely not a role for the weak or weak-willed.</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
<br />
<span class="textexposedshow">I’m certain that in the opinion of your countless
fans, you deserve all the success in the world. And what’s more, we know that
no one gave that success to you. We know you worked hard and did your best,
“went the extra mile,” and EARNED this solid solo victory. And for the
inspiration of your example, we all say, with a bow of sincere respect, “THANKS!”</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #37404e; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif";"><span style="background: white;"><span class="textexposedshow"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #37404e; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif";"><span style="background: white;"><span class="textexposedshow">(for my blog about how I discovered T-ARA, see <a href="http://deanandersson.blogspot.com/2014/03/t-ara-by-way-of-ghastly-ghost.html">T-ARA by way of a Ghastly Ghost</a> )</span></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16699649488298729455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7483850336442436010.post-10424793671917976602014-03-23T16:27:00.003-07:002016-02-16T14:33:37.176-08:00HEL X 3 "Author's Cut" of the Hel TriliogyCovers for the Hawk Books trade sized reprints in 2000, art by Boris Vallejo,<br />
stacked above the 2002 Russian language editions from Alpha-Kniga, art by Ilya Voronin.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1RY_QxzOceVdIQcJwT6c7mmJkyz_70hfFDPLmwNU2iC8ztZzI4A7qoQbM9dqv-3wf3aUyLlfzyas7JfocjJ7_WQXKTlcPXT2_Nb98mwe0WzhflY2a-FJp4b3f7__V8AT-fJyXrhpJzi5H/s1600/cdabloodsongborisigor.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1RY_QxzOceVdIQcJwT6c7mmJkyz_70hfFDPLmwNU2iC8ztZzI4A7qoQbM9dqv-3wf3aUyLlfzyas7JfocjJ7_WQXKTlcPXT2_Nb98mwe0WzhflY2a-FJp4b3f7__V8AT-fJyXrhpJzi5H/s1600/cdabloodsongborisigor.JPG" width="620" /></a></div>
<br />
I finished revising and expanding my Norse heroic fantasy trilogy into what is called an "author's cut." All three novels, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Warrior Witch of Hel, Death Riders of Hel</i>, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Werebeasts of Hel</i>, are now bundled into a 3-in-one ebook set called <i>HEL X 3. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
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<ul>
<li><i> </i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bloodsong-Hel-C-Dean-Andersson-ebook/dp/B00FO1CG02" target="_blank">Amazon</a><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bloodsong-Hel-C-Dean-Andersson-ebook/dp/B00FO1CG02" target="_blank"> HEL X 3 </a></i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bloodsong-Hel-C-Dean-Andersson-ebook/dp/B00FO1CG02" target="_blank">link (with excerpt) Look Inside feature</a> </li>
<li> <a href="https://darkwriter67.wordpress.com/2013/07/15/the-heavy-metal-of-fantasy/" target="_blank">review of original series</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://sethlindberg.blogspot.com/2014/01/bloodsong-hel-x-3-by-dean-andersson-asa.html" target="_blank">review of HEL X 3</a> </li>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bloodsong-Freyadis-Guthruns-Daughter/135238853241692?ref=hl" target="_blank">Bloodsong on facebook</a><br />
</li>
</ul>
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I discovered from working on the Hel novels that I liked Bloodsong and
her allies, warriors, shapeshifting berserkers, Witches (good and not so
good), villains (bad and worse), and monsters (don't even ask) in the
three books so much that I wanted to spend more time with them and am
now writing a new novel in the series, <i>Valkyries of Hel</i>.<br />
<br />
Most of the characters from the first three books return in the fourth book, but there are some interesting changes. For example, there will be K-Pop.<br />
<br />
Here is the original cover for the first edition of the first Hel book, September 1985, published in the Questar line under the Popular Library imprint (that was then owned by Warner Books), gorgeous art by the legendary Boris Vallejo, and written under my previously used pen name (because the publisher insisted) that I later stopped using.<br />
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<br />
My webpage: <a href="http://www.cdeanandersson.com/" target="_blank">C. Dean Andersson</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16699649488298729455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7483850336442436010.post-63143444720302826222014-03-23T15:36:00.001-07:002014-03-23T19:27:32.943-07:00Sabine Starr's "Gone Bad" series<!--[if !mso]>
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUog7e8jlus" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><br /></a></div>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUog7e8jlus" target="_blank">Link to Book Trailer for Lady Gone Bad</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_UWqoZ-S60" target="_blank">Lady Gone Bad video review</a> </li>
</ul>
<br />
Sabine Starr has written a “Gone Bad” series of novels that the genre and
marketing folks classify as Western Romances. Okay. They are westerns,
set in the late 1800s in Ms. Starr’s native (from the author’s information)
North Texas and Southeastern Indian Territory (today’s Oklahoma), and there is
romance in them. But of historical novels I have enjoyed, there
were always romance in them.<br />
<br />
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<br />
You learn a lot of history while enjoying a good story with these books<br />
.<br />
<br />
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<br />
To me, Sabine Starr gives you real novels, not been-there-before predictability, with great come-alive
descriptions of the landscapes in which the stories take place, a nice mix of
interesting characters, and of course the “hero” and “heroine.” But don’t
expect the main characters or the romance between them to be stereotypes. My
advice to any stereotype trying to sneak its way into a Sabine Starr novel is
to run for the hills before she fills its bottom with hot lead!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzsxO0eZAPLI4PVj3UKNEGLffpHZmgAfZJH3WGzcbzTp1nobnLyxaCunlvWfiDBL1Q-N8DUuVFzrykp8Hxn-wPEmWFwAf8prh_aaxGdbOFv1BLDaowsBQ9oNYKhfLqI7wnNSG9iG3-TCJ7/s1600/s4BelleGB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzsxO0eZAPLI4PVj3UKNEGLffpHZmgAfZJH3WGzcbzTp1nobnLyxaCunlvWfiDBL1Q-N8DUuVFzrykp8Hxn-wPEmWFwAf8prh_aaxGdbOFv1BLDaowsBQ9oNYKhfLqI7wnNSG9iG3-TCJ7/s1600/s4BelleGB.jpg" height="400" width="262" /></a></div>
Take <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Belle Gone Bad</i> for example,
the newest in the series <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Belle-Gone-Bad-Sabine-Starr-ebook/dp/B00FH1IFBS" target="_blank">AmazonLink</a>. The heroine is a serious
bounty hunter tracker out for revenge against those who killed her father and
fiance. But if you think you’ve been to this round-up before, nope. She has
some serious paranormal activity going on, we later learn. So does the hero,
for that matter. Yes, paranormal activity in a “western romance.” <br />
<br />
This ain’t <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gunfight at the O.K. Corral</i>
territory, pa’dners. Surprises like that in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Belle</i>,
and the others in the series, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lady, Angel</i>,
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bride</i> (which can be read in any
order, by the way) each holds its own surprises and mysteries waiting to be
discovered, is what makes reading still enjoyable.<br />
<br />
I hope there are more “Gone Bad” books coming our way. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16699649488298729455noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7483850336442436010.post-28474646895852564552014-03-23T14:23:00.001-07:002016-02-06T15:19:18.470-08:00T-ARA by way of a Ghastly Ghost<br />
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<br />
I’ve fallen in love with a Korean band named T-ARA.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Zzfk_U-kmnTEflERiYLpr3l26yFxScSMDD67AaY9pqei3rRgv4YC2I7f6IFHTW4vbeY1KkY3siDAB10pyXFJycgwZhjylSv_jYAaiM_Vt3NIlGJm2BVPx9s74Lk9mRlaABjJFyjJOsvW/s1600/TT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Zzfk_U-kmnTEflERiYLpr3l26yFxScSMDD67AaY9pqei3rRgv4YC2I7f6IFHTW4vbeY1KkY3siDAB10pyXFJycgwZhjylSv_jYAaiM_Vt3NIlGJm2BVPx9s74Lk9mRlaABjJFyjJOsvW/s400/TT.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
And it all
started with a Korean horror movie.<br />
<br />
<i>White, </i>2011<i>, </i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzAewEZqE-g" target="_blank"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Youtube
trailer</span></a></span> is the story of a "cursed melody"
that a K-Pop (Korean Pop) girl group called the "Pink Dolls" perform,
which turns out to be a great career move in the short term, but not so much
later on..."Is it getting warm in here?...hot, hot, hot, hot, hot..."<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWJ96I0v43c" target="_blank"> the cursed melody performed by the Pink Dolls</a><br />
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<br />
One of the stars of<i> White</i> is a young woman named Eunjung. I
looked her up and discovered she really is a K-Pop star with a
group called T-ARA (tiara). So, I searched YouTube for any videos T-ARA might
have there and found so many I still have not watched them all. But Eunjung had also starred in another horror film, <i>Ghastly</i>, 2011, along with another T-ARA member, Hyomin. I watched <i>Ghastly</i>, too, and was even more impressed. Both actresses did excellent jobs, and Hyomin's final scenes were so strong, due mostly to her sheer acting talent, with few special effects, that it made a lasting impression on me, not an easy thing to do when you have seen as many horror movies as I have. The full movie with English subtitles is currently available, free on YouTube at this link: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSxkdqVqFTc" target="_blank">Ghastly -- Full Movie with English Subtitles</a><br />
<br />
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Now, Hyomin has made another film, <i>Jinx</i>, 2013. It is not a horror film. It is a charming romantic comedy. She makes her character, a South Korean student in Japan, endearing and captivating. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVC4B4rQUvA" target="_blank"><i>Jinx</i> trailer</a> And here is my IMDB review: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2691040/reviews?ref_=tt_ov_rt" target="_blank">JINX!!! IMDB Review</a> -- <a href="http://deanandersson.blogspot.com/2016/02/review-of-park-hyo-mins-japanese-movie.html" target="_blank">And my updated blog review is her</a>e.<br />
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<br />
Hyomin has also acted in other dramas and comedies, including the historical epic, Gyebaek, for which she won a 2011 Best New Comer MBC Drama Award. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5QrhS-8Rvg" target="_blank">Hyomin's heart-felt acceptance speech</a><br />
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<br />
<br />
Back to T-ARA. My first T-ARA experience was a video of a release called
"Number 9." I always liked the golden oldie, "Love Potion Number
9," both the original and the cover by The Searchers, as well as the
Beatles' "Number 9" on their “White” Album. But none of
my expectations prepared me for T-ARA’s “Number 9.” <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTrOIxnIYMnvglh_T4B4JCiZezone-CTpLp_a_32DHvMPgKmt1b_ezznPXb0owd6bCUSQplp6AeG_aJReXtMM3lBoe9b59tTARMcXmpRv9SqgujUW6Iir4qGo3-fTDNJGNmw3vHk0yELyn/s1600/t-ara+again.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTrOIxnIYMnvglh_T4B4JCiZezone-CTpLp_a_32DHvMPgKmt1b_ezznPXb0owd6bCUSQplp6AeG_aJReXtMM3lBoe9b59tTARMcXmpRv9SqgujUW6Iir4qGo3-fTDNJGNmw3vHk0yELyn/s1600/t-ara+again.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
T-ARA's version got to me in unexpected ways. My musical tastes are
extensive. I was trained and performed on various musical instruments
throughout my youth and in the Air Force. So! This K-Pop group’s "Number
9" had a lot going for it musically. The group's dance performance was
also impressive (yes, I was also trained as a dancer in my youth, but do not
ask me to prove it with a "time-step"). <br />
<br />
The T-ARAians were great singers and dancers and, from their between dance
moves performances in the video, competent actresses as well. Not to mention,
of course, their costuming and generally striking appearance (I wasn’t going to
mention this, but since you forced me, yes, okay, they are all quite
beautiful). Then, I found the English lyrics to “Number 9” and was even
more impressed. <a href="http://kkromanized.wordpress.com/2013/10/13/rom-eng-lyrics-t-ara-no-9-number-nine-%EB%84%98%EB%B2%84%EB%82%98%EC%9D%B8/" target="_blank">T-ARA“Number 9” Video and Lyrics</a> <br />
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<br />
I went back for more K-Pop, me, who likes Viking Metal by Bathory and Amon Amarth! Could anything be farther from Viking Metal than K-Pop? But I have not
been disappointed. I have barely scratched the surface. Miss A. Brave Brothers. Girls Generation. Speed. Sistar. 2NE1. And so many more. Fascinating and fun. Here is a nice sampler from YouTube. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRf-yZOIwoU" target="_blank">100 top K-Pop songs</a><br />
<br />
T-ARA is a classy and very accomplished group of
performers, and from my own experiences, a very hard working bunch. Their kind
of perfection takes long hours of practice to make it look so easy on the stage
or in front of a camera. Indeed, I read that T-ARA rehearsed for three years
before their debut in 2009, for which they became known before their debut as the "Super Rookies." Well, if true, it shows.<br />
<br />
Now, they have followed up “Number 9” with “<a href="http://kkromanized.wordpress.com/2014/02/20/rom-eng-lyrics-t-ara-first-love-feat-eb/" target="_blank">FirstLove” – Video and Lyrics.</a> From
the title, I was afraid I would find some pop music sweet syrupy concoction,
maybe a K-Pop version of Pat Boone’s “April Love.” But T-ARA surprised me
again. To begin with, after the intro, the song is done in a Tango rhythm! And
the women’s singing is captivating. The addition of a sharp, guest-rapper named EB (yes,
rapping within a Tango), adds a nice touch.<br />
<br />
“First Love,” by composer Cho Young Soo, however, is a rather ironic title. In some ways, it has lyrics
that are even more edgy than “Number 9.” Yet, the video that goes with it, by
contrast, provides fans with a welcome, candid look inside the recording studio,
with three of the members, Hyomin, Jiyeon, and Soyeon, no flashy costumes, no
fancy dance moves, simply working together in ways that reminded me of the
Beatles’ “Let It Be” movie, except without the building feuds. Here is a good interview with the three about "First Love" (with English subtitles) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1UjoR-4s-Q" target="_blank">"First Love" Interview</a>.<br />
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In fact, T-ARA’s artistic progress in just a few years reminds me of the
Beatles, too, starting with entertaining pop music then progressing to more
serious themes, even, yes, now, art. This group and those creators and
collaborators behind the scenes, of whom there must be many, are doing
important things that should only get more interesting and enjoyable in the
months and years to come. <br />
<br />
How much of their progress is due to input from Hyomin, Eunjung, and Jiyeon
(the three that have been with T-ARA from the beginning) and the other current
members, Boram, Soyeon, and Qri, I do not know, but I suspect that these savvy,
creative professionals are an important part of the input-mix. And in a new development, Jiyeon and Hyomin each had a solo debut released in 2014, and Hyomin's second solo album arrived in 2016. But each had also done memorable solo work during T-ARA's concerts, which can be found and viewed on YouTube, such as Hyomin's spectacular "Love Suggestion" solo, sung in English and danced with the style of a Bob Fosse Hollywood vamp number, with echoes of Monroe, Hayworth, and Dietrich, but infused throughout with Hyomin's unique style and energy. Hard to believe this is the same person who created the loveable Jinx character and the dramatic Gyebaek portrayal, but that's showbiz for you. Hyomin's versatility is impressive. She also does photography, creating professional photobooks, draws and designs, models, and composes. Here's a classic vamp shot from her "Love Suggestion" solo.<br />
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<br />
Here is a link to a performance of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyHhDf_O794" target="_blank">"Love Suggesstion."</a><br />
<br />
Here is a link to Hyomin's solo debut "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MfQRWeXN_M" target="_blank">Nice Body"</a><br />
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<br />
Also see my blog about Hyomin's "Nice Body" solo,<a href="http://deanandersson.blogspot.com/2014/07/hyo-min-rocky-of-k-pop.html?_sm_au_=iVVsq3qr6TDsnRZq" target="_blank"> "The 'Rocky' of K-Pop"</a><br />
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<br />
And on her first EP, titled MAKE UP, she included a self-composed song, a strong rap with an emotional punch. I hope to see more of this kind of work from her as her solo career evolves. Link to<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63xb9hG79Sk" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocEWhn1dEKk" target="_blank">"Overcome" with English subtitles</a><br />
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Hyomin has composed two new songs that are included on her 2016 full-length album.<br />
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Jiyeon (the youngest or "maknae" of T-ARA) had a solo debut in 2014 with an incredibly strong dance and singing tour de force of a performance. It was a surrealistic, beautiful, nightmare of a music video with enough striking images to make a surrealist master like Dali or Magritte take notice. Watch for the sudden bat-wings dance move designed by Yama and Hotchicks choreographer. And the weird mirror-dance effect. Unforgettable imagery executed perfectly. Here is a link to Jiyeon's solo debut <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFr0kR1jERI" target="_blank">"Never Ever."</a><br />
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I want to also include a link to T-ARA's "Do You Know Me?" music video.The costuming and sets and ensemble dancing alone will reward you with smiles, and giving us smiles is largely what T-ARA is about. Once upon a time, listening to the Beatles could uplift my spirits and turn a solid, determined frown into a silly, who cares let's be happy smile. Now, for me, smiles are guaranteed by listening to T-ARA. No, I have not learned Korean. Yet. Knowing Korean would add to the enjoyment, but the MUSIC transcends language... and in some ways treating the voices purely as musical instruments even enhances the effect. As I have heard it said, music is the universal language. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm0gNtJ80RI" target="_blank">"Do You Know Me?" link</a><br />
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And last but not least, for pure can't sit still fun, here is T-ARA sub-unit N4 (Hyomin, Jiyeon, Eunjung, and Areum). N4 has traveled to the U.S. and appeared in Las Vegas. Hold on... here you go... go... go ahead... you know you want to... get up and move! <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRpPCxaLmks" target="_blank">T-ARA N4 link</a><br />
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So, now I must say, with all their
other fans, “Sarrang-hammida, T-ARA!” Because it turns out, and no one is more
surprised than die-hard Viking metal-head me, I do love this group and what
they are doing. Long live T-ARA! And long live all Queen's (don't correct me... T-ARA fans are "Queen's," with the possessive apostrophe, not "Queens" -- as T-ARA fans have corrected me!) Yes, T-ARA fans, male and female alike, are correctly referred to as "Queen's.") <a href="https://www.facebook.com/officialtara" target="_blank">T-ARA official facebook page</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-ara" target="_blank">T-ARA on Wikipedia</a><br />
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