Living with non-humans

District 9 is an upcoming film produced by Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings trilogy) and directed by Neill Blomkamp. I was kinda impressed with the trailer because it doesn't look like a movie trailer, more like a documentary. The film is actually based on a short film called Alive in Joburg directed by Neill Blomkamp, Sharlto Copley, Simon Hansen and Shanon Worley.

In the film, human had finally made contact with aliens who happened to come to Earth, not to attack Earth or save Earth or even humanity, but for shelter. They were actually last survivors from their planet. The aliens were confined in a specific area called District 9 and were forced to work. Tension arise when one of the member of MNU (Multi-National United), a private company who oversee them (I assume), was contracted with a virus that changed his DNA. He was then hunted for his DNA could be the key to unlock the highly-advanced alien weaponry.

The trailer looks promising although nothing could be guaranteed until we see the final product. The film will be released in US on 14 August 2009. Here's the trailer courtesy of IGN. To learn more about the aliens, District 9, or to report on non-human activities, please visit the official site.

Utada Hikaru ~ Could this be the One?

I finally got myself a copy of Utada's new english album, This Is The One. I'm a huge fan of her music so buying this album is definitely a must. But what about other people who are not her fans but curious about her style of music? Should they/you buy it? Here's a brief track-by-track review for you to make the choice;

1. Come Back to Me

- This is definitely one of the best song in this album and to make it the 1st single is a brilliant choice. Very melodic and easy on the ears. I think this song could attract both fans and non-fans alike. A good start for the album.

2. Me Muero

- According to Utada, Me Muero is her favourite track from this album and she would listen to this even though she usually would not listen to her own songs. I felt weird that Utada found this to be her favourite because for me there are many other nicer songs than this. Maybe it's personally related to her? I don't know. Anyway, the song tells about depression (or so I guess) and I think lyrically, it's quite interesting.

3. Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence - FYI

- I love this song, and it's a possible future single. It was made on a sample of an old Japanese song written by Ryuichi Sakamoto. I'm not sure what instruments did they used to make the music but I definitely fall in love with the sound. Two thumbs up!

4. Apple and Cinnamon

- My personal favourite track. I really think this song should be released as a single, it would be a waste if she/they didn't. It's also a sad song especially at the ending bit. I think a lot of people can relate to the story of the song.

5. Taking My Money Back

- Influence of R&B can be heard from this track. She even sound like Destiny's Child in it. The arrangement is quite simple and bring in less impact than the other tracks. But it's still a nice song.

6. This One (Crying Like a Child)

- This is quite a powerful song. It really shows the strength of her vocal and the sadness in it makes the song even greater. I can almost sense the desperation when I listen to this track. I also found the lyrics to be quite interesting. It's like she's singing in a point of view of a fan to one of her favourite artist; in fact she sounds like an obsessed fan. But I'm not sure whether my interpretation is true though. That's why I love this song; it's sad, it's mysterious, and it kept me guessing.

7. Automatic Part II

- I found this song to be fun and enjoyable. I can also dance to this song. The beats are addictive and I can't help myself but to move my body.

8. Dirty Desire

- As the name suggest, this is a dirty song...lyrically. Well, at least for a couple of lines. I don't really mind because there are plenty of sexual related songs out there and Dirty Desire just a mild version of them. Also, this song sound like it was taken from a Britney album. Definitely has a mainstream sound to it.

9. Poppin'

- This is my least favoutite track from the album. I don't think this song suit in this great album. I hate the talking parts and the pointless lyrics make it even worse. I don't mean to be cruel but I really, really think this song should be sung by somebody else other than the great and talented Utada. But it is quite bearable after a couple of spins.

10. On and On

- This track is suitable for clubs. Fun, amusing and danceable. I love it! I think this song is written especially to those clubbers.


In general, it's another great effort from Utada. Although most of the tracks are more mainstream compared to her previous songs, but you can still sense the 'Utada flavor' in it. You can listen to the samples of the songs together with brief explanation from Utada about each track in her official site.

Now I can't stop playing the disc in my car on my way back home from work. It's addictive. Thank you Utada for such a great album!

The return of 2D animation from Disney

This is what I've been wanting for such a long time. A new 2D animation from Disney! The Princess and the Frog would be the return of Disney's 2D animation feature film since Home on the Range in 2004. It is directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, the people who brought to life the classic Disney films such as Aladdin and The Little Mermaid.

The Princess and the Frog is about a prince who had been turned into a frog by a voodoo magician. To break the spell, the prince asked a princess to kiss him. The kiss didn't break the spell, and the princess is turned into a frog instead! So in order to turned themselves back to human, they must find a good voodoo magician to help them, and along the way, they will meet new friends and have a journey of a lifetime.

I really wish this movie will be as good as the good-old-classic animated movies from Disney. I have really high hopes for this movie so hopefully it will not disappoint.

To watch the trailer, you can go to the official site by clicking here.

Got myself Upside Down with pop music

I'm bored. I need some pop music. Pure pop music. It's kinda hard to find some real good pop music nowadays. Sigh.

Source: A-TEENS.COM

Do you guys ever heard of a teen pop group called A* Teens from Sweden? I hope you did coz they were really popular back in the early 2000's. They were definitely huge in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and several other Asian countries, and of course Europe. I also found out from Wiki that they were huge in Mexico and US (!) which surprises me coz I thought they never did promoted themselves in the US. They also had an album called Pop 'til You Drop! released exclusively in the US. No wonder I couldn't find the album in my country.

Some of their big hits are Floorfiller, the Elvis Presley's cover Can't Help Falling In Love (soundtrack for Lilo and Stitch), Halfway Around the World and Upside Down. They first started as a group dedicated to sing only ABBA songs with their debut album contains all the cover songs from ABBA. Then they started making their own image with a pop album, Teen Spirit. Later they released Pop 'til You Drop exclusively for US market, and New Arrival, their fourth album internationally.

Here's the video to their massive hit Upside Down from the album Teen Spirit. This song was in my head all day long when I was a teenager. I totally love it! One of the best pop song ever! Hope you guys would love it too. Enjoy!