『M』uddy 『C』ult: January 2013

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Movie Review: Whispering Corridors (1998)

Alternate Title: Yeogo Goedam

Starring: Lee Mi-Yeon, Kim Gyu-Ri, Choi Gang-Hee, Park Jin-Hee, Yoon Ji-Hye

Directed by: Park Ki-Hyeong

Country: South Korea

Language: Korean

Rating: R

Running Time: 105 minutes

Synopsis: Life is what you'd expect for young teenagers at this seemingly normal private all-girls school, until a past alumni returns as a teacher. She strikes up a new friendship with two very different students and a horrific course of events ensues. A teacher is found dead, apparently having committed suicide, and circumstances that inextricably link both the past and the present are unveiled. As the body count rises, the memories of the deaths unleash the echoes of ghosts down the corridors.

Going into this movie, I tried to have no expectations. A few people had recommended the series that it's the beginning of. I'm not too fond of Korean horror in general. Most of the time, I don't find them particularly frightening in any way. I feel like they fail to build the necessary suspense for the scares that they attempt to deliver. I'm not sure whether this fault lies in the direction or the acting. In some cases, it's a combination of both.

Set in an all-girls school, Whispering Corridors had the potential to be quite interesting. Girls are filled with drama. They hold grudges and get easily wrapped up in petty things. Just those things have the ability to create a breeding ground for an intense psychological horror. With one particularly boring death by the seven minute mark, I was still willing to give it a shot.

Ji-Oh and Jae-Yi meet outside of the school. They're both obviously very different with Jae-Yi being shy and a bit awkward. Ji-Oh isn't without her own flaws. Other students believe that Ji-Oh can conjure spirits among not being one of the more popular girls. The two have been set up as the class clerks, required to arrive early to clean the classroom before homeroom begins. It's on this attempt to clean the classroom that the two girls find the dead teacher who has been hung from a walkway outside the school. The reveal of that death could have created a touching moment between the two girls who discovered it. Instead, it was quickly moved forward from.

We're set up with the new teacher for the classroom. The girls have been sworn to secrecy about the death as the school wishes to avoid any negative publicity. Any sympathy we could have had for the dead woman is quickly pushed away by the reveal that she was cruel to her students in the past. This is shown through flashbacks by the younger female teacher (also a former student of the deceased). In the meantime, the schoolgirls decide to try to conjure any lingering spirits...only to get hit in the face with an eraser by a male teacher. This moment was a bit comical until the male teacher decides to punish the whole class.

Fourty-five minutes into the movie, the plot picks up a little bit with the male teacher physically assaulting the same student he'd hit with the eraser earlier. The same teacher also seems fond of inappropriately making advances toward students. From there, it seems to get a little more dull. There haven't really been any advances in the plot. Aside from that first few minutes, the ghost has only been mentioned in passing (aka the students believe that the storage rooms are haunted.)

The next death doesn't happen until an hour into the film. By this time, I was a bit confused on what had happened. Apparently in Korean schools, teachers act as security guards to patrol the schools at night. An hour and twenty four minutes brings us another death and an unexplained body along with a bit of backstory about the ghost. By the time that you realize what is really happening, I'm not entirely sure if it makes a difference to the overall plot. It comes with only ten minutes remaining in the entire movie.

What could have been a poignant story of friendship found and lost ends up being a deficient horror. I'd have liked to have seen the friendship between Ji-Oh and Jae-Yi fleshed out as well as that of So-Young and Jung-Sook. We're supposed to care about these girls, but there's no reason to care about them aside from the way they're treated by their teachers. So-Young and Jung-Sook were set up as rivals for the class leader. There's obviously something connecting them, but we don't learn until very late that they're former friends who drifted apart. We see more of Ji-Oh and Jae-Yi together, yet it's not really enough to make it click as them being very close.

The female teacher was also someone who wasn't really used to her full potential. She was part of the key to the unveiling of the ghost. Even with the flashbacks of her time as a student, I felt no sympathy for her or any feelings toward her at all. The ghost didn't really get enough time for me to feel any connection to her. The bullying the girl suffered was shown in flashbacks, but again, I wasn't given enough screen time to really feel anything for her.

Overall, Whispering Corridors leaves me feeling disappointed. I've been left with questions regarding the rave reviews I'd heard of this title from friends. It's quite possible that I haven't been able to immerse myself into the world Whispering Corridors creates enough to have the reaction others have from this film. Give this one a chance if you're willing to be patient with the slow buildup and lack of depth.

Rating: 2/5

Monday, January 28, 2013

Movie Review: Cello

Starring: Seong Hyeon-ah, Park Da-an, Jeong Ho-bin

Directed by: Lee Woo-cheol

Country: South Korea

Language: Korean

Rating: Not Rated

Running Time: 92 minutes

Synopsis: After surviving a terrifying car wreck that killed her best friend, Mi-ju, a brilliant cellist longs for a peaceful and stable life as a music teacher at a local college. When horrifying memories of the accident begin to surface, her tranquil life quickly becomes a nightmare. A supernatural evil seeks revenge against her and her family. Until she knows the reason why, no one is safe.

Hong Mi-Ju lives a relatively normal life teaching part-time at a musical academy. She seems to be fairly normal with friends among her co-workers. The only downfall is that she has a former student who's very upset that Mi-Ju gave her a failing grade. The young woman promises to get revenge on the professor as she's been prevented from getting into the university that she wanted. Despite this, Mi-Ju goes home to a loving husband, their two daughters and her sister-in-law. Home life seems to be quite normal with the exception of a creepy housekeeper being taken on. Everything seems too normal for a horror movie. Then strange things begin to happen...

While Cello isn't what I'd classify as traditional horror (even of the Asian variety), it does hold some of the values that those films portray. Those are in a quite limited respect though. It would have been better to classify this movie as a psychological drama instead. Even that label can only take it so far. The film is extremely boring. I found myself yawning through most of it. I will, however, say that the cello music and the youngest daughter were the best parts. The little girl (Jin Ji-Hee) was adorable and quite precocious.

With that said, I suppose that I should explain what I didn't like. The pacing of the film was extremely slow. For the first fifteen minutes, there was only a quick (almost easily missed) sighting of the ghost. Once that happens, there's no other sightings of the ghost until the film is almost over. One would think that in a ninety minute horror film, you'd at least see the ghost quite a few times by the hour mark. Instead, we're left with Mi-Ju being paranoid, a creepy housekeeper and the creepy elder daughter. It's not really explained very well that the elder daughter was born with a developmental disorder that Mi-Ju blames herself for.

The film didn't manage to hold my attention by the time that the last twenty minutes roll around. This is where the action starts to pick up. We've finally reached Mi-Ju's breaking point and the full unveiling of the ghost. The true backstory is revealed as well as a twist that wasn't quite expected. Even so, I wasn't interested enough to care. Mi-Ju was seemingly the perfect teacher, wife and mother....yet she was also perfectly boring. Her husband was also quite boring. The creepy housekeeper and elder daughter were both mute unless you count the daughter screaming as speech. We're not given adequate time to care about the sister-in-law's fate even though she lives in the home.

Rating: 2/5

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Movie Review: Mama (2013)

Starring: Jessica Chastain, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Megan Charpentier, Isabelle Nelisse

Directed by: Andres Muschietti

Executive Producer: Guillermo del Toro

Language: English

Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 100 minutes

Synopsis from IMDB: Annabel and Lucas are faced with the challenge of raising his young nieces that were left alone in the forest for 5 years.... but how alone were they?

Going into Mama, I had high hopes for it to be a rather scary horror. After all, the basis was a three minute short film that held the potential to be expanded into something great. I've included the short film below because even viewing it won't spoil the actual expanded film. Guillermo del Toro has the ability to be a decent director as we've witnessed in the Hellboy franchise and Pan's Labyrinth. His attention to detail in bringing the characters and worlds of those films to life was quite great. Sadly, his production choices in the science fiction/horror realm are very lackluster. Did you see Don't be Afraid of the Dark? What about Splice? With that thought aside, we have to focus on the film itself.

Mama (2008, short film)

The film opens with a car parked oddly and left empty in front of a house. Commentators on the car's radio mention that two executives at a firm have been murdered while the third is missing. The camera pans to a very young girl standing in a room with a bed and a crib. A loud sound is heard downstairs (presumably a gunshot) and her father comes in to collect his daughters. The eldest girl asks where her mother is. We can assume that the father has murdered the mother as he's clearly distraught.

He puts both girls in the car and drives away. An accident, from driving too fast on a snowy road, causes the car to slide off into the forest. The father then takes the girls to an abandoned hunting cabin. It seems as though no one has lived there for quite some time. Victoria, the eldest daughter, notices a woman outside. He pays no attention and starts a fire before breaking down. What did we expect to happen when he's just murdered three people? The man prepares to murder his daughters and then himself, but the figure the eldest girl noticed appears...

Five years later, Lucas (father's brother) and his girlfriend are living in a small apartment. Annabel is quite relieved to learn that she's not pregnant. It seems that they've been exhausting their funds to search for his missing family. The search is still ongoing with Lucas hoping that they will be recovered. We learn that he's a starving artist while his girlfriend is a rock musician. Neither are ideal parents as their finances and situation would make such an effort difficult. Low and behold, the search team find the car and the cabin with two very wild, very animalistic little girls inside. How did the children survive for all that time?

The girls are taken to a psychiatric facility where they are evaluated for 87 days before their custody is decided on. This was the beginning of the biggest plot hole for me. These children were wild. They were frightened and clearly not ready for social interaction. Yet, apparently it was long enough to try to incorporate them back into civilization. Lilly, the youngest, sleeps under her bed. She prefers to eat on the floor with her hands when she's not chowing down on moths. The little one barely talks past grunts and other sounds. Victoria, who was old enough to be in at least kindergarten, has retained a lot of her vocabulary and seems to pick things up fast. Even so, what doctor or court would rightly believe that throwing these two children out into the world would be the right thing to do?

Enter the cliched jump scares in with the slow pacing of the psychiatrist still trying to hypnotize Victoria and strange things beginning to happen. Mama is a jealous being even if the doctor believes that she's all a part of Victoria's mind. The girl knows things she couldn't have known. This must mean something paranormal. The doctor begins to research Victoria's stories and leads us to a pointless character that informs us about the nature of ghosts. While this is happening, Annabel has begun to bond with the children. If you're wondering where Lucas went, don't worry about him. The father and uncle aren't really anything more than a means to an end. The father was only introduced to get the girls to the cabin and bring the uncle back into the action later on.

The film is mainly about the tug of war between the females in the film. Annabel wants to help the girls and keep them from Jean (their mother's sister) who wants custody. Mama wants the girls for herself, resorting to violence against anyone who stands in her way. The flashbacks that explain Mama's origins are confusing. You're left to rely on what little information you can infer to understand what has happened. Those were key points that would have made Mama a sympathetic figure. You know...if it wasn't for murdering people to keep the girls among other things.

By the time the film was ending, I was left wondering what had happened. The girls were left with a choice of one mother figure over another. Could they be saved from this entity? The last five minutes seemed to move too quickly compared to the slow pace of the rest of the film. The resolution made me want to throw something at the screen. It wasn't what I was expecting at all and actually left me feeling a little let down. If only those plot points had been used rather than becoming black holes to suck everything down...

If you can get past the plot holes and odd cgi, Mama wasn't a bad film. The desire to protect the children drove both the ghostly mother and the reluctant human one. It could have been expanded on and made into something much deeper than it was. The idea was interesting, but the translation from idea to screen was very lackluster. Several scenes from the trailer were also cut out of the final film. I wonder if those scenes would have made a difference to the outcome had they been left in. I'd recommend waiting for dvd.

Rating: 2/5

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Movie Review: The Hobbit

Starring: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee

Directed by: Peter Jackson

Language: English. Elvish, Dwarvish

Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 169 minutes

I should start off my review with a warning. I'm going to assume that, if you're going to see The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, you've already read the novel. There may be spoilers ahead for people who haven't. I'll try to keep them to a minimum, but let's be honest. The first pressing of the novel was in 1937. The most well-known animated adaptation was released in 1977. There have been several adaptations such as radio shows and musicals. It's hard to spoil something that has been imagined and reimagined so many times over the years.

Seeing this movie was a very important thing for me. As a child, I'd read the book with my father. It was one of those standout memories. I was lucky enough to be able to see it with a very amazing woman that loves Tolkien's world just as much as I do. We were both very captivated by Peter Jackson's ability to bring such a classic to life. Our only real fear was that certain things would get left out much like in Lord of the Rings. That subject is for another review though.

Old Bilbo: My dear Frodo, you asked me once if I had told you everything there was to know about my adventures. Well, I can honestly say I've told you the truth, I may not have told you all of it.

The first film was an excellent adaptation of a classic novel. The first scene in Bag End with Bilbo and Frodo was the perfect way to set the tone of the film. For those of you who were worried, put your fears to rest. Frodo's role is simply a small, yet important one to tie The Hobbit to the events of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Jackson's vision and dedication to the series is made clear from that opening scene. He's just as much of a fan as the rest of us are.

Gandalf: You'll have a tale or two to tell when you come back.

Bilbo: You can promise that I will come back?

Gandalf: No. And if you do, you will not be the same.

The cgi and visual effects are far better than the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It still managed to be very believeable as being the beginning of the saga. The costume and set designs were once again breathtaking. Detailed weapons also added to the authentic feel. The choice of filming in New Zealand again lent beautiful landscapes to a film that should be filled with them. By the time we walked out of the theatre, I was ready to book a flight and buy myself a home in the Shire or beg for a place among the elves in Rivendell!

There were several standout moments. The Dwarven songs at Bilbo's home were among the biggest. I was afraid when I heard that the writers would choose to leave the songs out of the movie. After all, almost all the songs had been omitted from the Lord of the Rings films. To me, it felt more important that these were included. After all, The Hobbit was meant to have an injection of humor in the midst of the drama. Throwing dishes as they sing 'That's what Bilbo Baggins' hates' brought me back to being a child and wishing cleaning up after dinner could be that much fun.

Blunt the knives and bend the forks!

Smash the bottles and burn the corks!

Chip the glasses and crack the plates!

That's what Bilbo Baggins hates --

Cut the cloth and tread on the fat!

Leave the bones on the bedroom mat!

Pour the milk on the pantry floor!

Splash the wine on every door!

Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl;

Pound them up with a thumping pole;

And when you've finished, if any are whole,

Send them down the hall to roll!

That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!

A little later came the song that I was looking forward to the most. I'll admit that I had chills when I saw this one on the trailer. Even though it was in the trailer, I still had my worries that it wouldn't be part of the actual film. I'm sure that some of you know how dreadful it is when those iconic scenes only appear in the trailer. The scene was perfect. I have to admit that I was in tears by the time it was over.

From the council meeting at Rivendell to the battle of wits between Bilbo and Gollum, The Hobbit lives up to everything that I could have hoped for. Even the animals had a big part to play. These are most apparent in Thranduil's brief appearance with his elk as well as Radagast and his rabbits. The orcs with their wargs were a standout moment as well as the Great Eagles. I could go on in detail, but that would simply lead to much more than you'd be willing to read. I'll begin to wrap up this review by touching on the characters and actors that brought the film to life.

There were several characters that stood out more than others. Thorin, Kili and Fili from the dwarves were a delight to see. Galadriel was just as ethereal when she was once again brought to life by the beautiful Cate Blanchett. Elrond, Gandalf and Saruman were exactly what we'd expected them to be. Even knowing what Saruman would become, it was easy to see him as he should have been for the time period. Martin Freeman was the perfect choice for the young Bilbo Baggins just as Ian Holm brought to life Bilbo's elder incarnation. As always, Andy Serkis deserves high praise for his work as Gollum. Nothing can convince me that the character would have such personality without Mr. Serkis donning that motion capture suit to bring him to life.

Bilbo: Why don't we have a game of riddles and if I win, you show me the way out of here?

Gollum: And if he loses? What then? Well if he loses, precious, then we eats it! If Baggins loses, we eats it whole!

Bilbo: Fair enough.

I highly recommend that any Tolkien fan go see this film. Any fan of fantasy in general should take the time to not only see the film, but read the novel as well. The Hobbit was always a novel where you didn't need to be convince yourself of your surroundings. Instead, you were simply there in the world that Tolkien created. Allow yourself to be swept away and go see the Hobbit while you have the chance.

Rating: 5/5

Introduction

Hello Muddy Cult readers,

I'm Ophelia. I'm one of two new writers that will be joining Miko here to bring you more exciting content in 2013. This change should bring a bit more diversity into the blog as I'm sure all three of us have varied interests that we can cover here. I have a few reviews in the works already. In a few minutes, I'll post the first of those. Until then, I'll list a bit about myself so you can get to know me a bit better.

Favorite bands: Penicillin, Crack 6, B'z, D, SADS, Kagerou
Favorite solo artists: BENI, Kiyoharu, J, Kuwata Keisuke
Favorite guitarists: Tak Matsumoto (B'z), Chisato (Penicillin), Karyu (D'espairsRay/Angelo)
Favorite Kpop groups: Brown Eyed Girls, Big Bang
Preferred movie genre: Horror
Preferred musical genre: Rock
Guilty Pleasure: Aki Hoshino, EXILE

I'm a really nice person. Ask Miko! She can tell you so. My background is in film, music and literature. I'm happier listening to music or watching a movie than to go out partying with people. I hope that my reviews will be something that you can enjoy and look forward to! Thanks for supporting us!

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Movies Watched in 2013

Let's hear it for Round 5!

Starting date: January 5, 2013
Finishing date: December 20, 2013

1. Sukiyaki Western Django (2007, Japan)
2. Death Trance (2005, Japan)
3. Looper (2012, USA)
4. Please Vote for Me (2007, China)
5. The Children of Leningradsky (2005, Poland)
6. Born into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids (2005, India)
7. Primary (1960, USA)
8. Checkpoint (2003, Israel)
9. Jane (1962, USA)
10. Warm Bodies (2013, USA)
11. Drop (2009, Japan)
12. Death in Gaza (2004, USA)
13. Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment (1963, USA)
14. Happy Mother's Day (1963, USA)
15. A Time for Burning (1967, USA)
16. This Way Up (2007, France)
17. Death in Gaza (2004, UK)
18. War Photographer (2001, Switzerland)
19. Salesman (1968, USA)
20. The Devil Came on Horseback (2008, USA)
21. Don't Look Back (1967, USA)
22. [Rec] ² (2009, Spain)
23. Voices Unveiled: Turkish Women Who Dare (2009, Turkey)
24. Law and Order (1969, USA)
25. The Virgin, the Copts, and Me [Le Vierge, les Coptes et moi] (2011, France)
26. An American Family Revisited: The Louds 10 Years Later (1983, USA)
27. Single Parent (1975, USA)
28. Oz the Great and Powerful (2013, USA)
29. The Leader, His Driver, and the Driver's Wife (1991, UK)
30. Grey Gardens (1975, USA)
31. Frankenweenie (2012, USA)
32. Seven Psychopaths (2012, UK)
33. The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012, USA)
34. The Cove (2006, USA)
35. ParaNorman (2012, USA)
36. Waltz with Bashir [Vals Im Bashir] (2008, Israel)
37. Soldier Girls (1980, USA)
38. The Croods (2013, USA)
39. Persepolis (2007, France)
40. The War Room (1993, USA)
41. The Loved Ones (2009, Australia)
42. Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People (2006, USA)
43. Audition (1999, Japan)
44. Ichi the Killer (2001, Japan)
45. Suicide Club (2001, Japan)
46. Heart no Kuni no Alice ~Wonderful Wonder World~ (2011, Japan)
47. Kara no Kyoukai 1: Fukan Fuukei (2007, Japan)
48. Imprint (2006, Japan)
49. Bunraku (2010, USA)
50. Sisters in Law (2005, Cameroon)
51. Iron Man 3 (2013, USA)
52. Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013, USA)
53. Hotel Transylvania (2012, USA)
54. Resident Evil: Retribution (2012, USA)
55. Wreck-It Ralph (2012, USA)
56. Sinister (2012, USA)
57. Snow White and the Huntsman (2012, USA)
58. Think Like a Man (2012, USA)
59. Silver Linings Playbook (2012, USA)
60. Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009, USA)
61. Django Unchained (2012, USA)
62. Dark Shadows (2012, USA)
63. Man Bites Dog (1992, Belgium)
64. The Purge (2013, USA)
65. Cabin in the Woods (2011, USA)
66. The Big Lebowski (1998, USA)
67. Memento (2000, USA)
68. Misery (1990, USA)
69. Man of Steel (2013, USA)
70. Sin City (2005, USA)
71. Beautiful Creatures (2013, USA)
72. The Man with the Iron Fists (2012, USA)
73. Mama (2013, USA)
74. Amélie [Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain] (2001, France)
75. Cloud Atlas (2012, USA)
76. Monsters University (2013, USA)
77. Se7en (1995, USA)
78. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975, USA)
79. Adaptation. (2002, USA)
80. Despicable Me 2 (2013, USA)
81. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013, USA)
82. Rear Window (1954, USA)
83. Dark Skies (2013, USA)
84. Jack the Giant Slayer (2013, USA)
85. Mother [Madeo] (2009, South Korea)
86. Stoker (2013, UK)
87. House at the End of the Street (2012, USA)
88. Ed Wood (1994, USA)
89. Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor (2013, USA)
90. Spring Breakers (2013, USA)
91. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (2009, USA)
92. The Wolverine (2013, USA)
93. Vertigo (1958, USA)
94. Evil Dead (2013, USA)
95. The Conjuring (2013, USA)
96. Trance (2013, UK)
97. Side Effects (2012, USA)
98. The Collector (2009, USA)
99. Kick-Ass (2010, USA)
100. Good Deeds (2009, USA)
101. Heathers (1989, USA)
102. Rise of the Guardians (2012, USA)
103. Lee Daniels' The Butler (2013, USA)
104. The ABC's of Death (2012, USA)
105. Kick-Ass 2 (2013, USA)
106. Saw 3D: The Final Chapter (2010, USA)
107. Scream 4 (2011, USA)
108. A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010, USA)
109. Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008, USA)
110. A Company Man [Hoi-sa-won] (2012, South Korea)
111. Be Kind Rewind (2008, USA)
112. The Last House on the Left (1972, USA)
113. Martyrs (2008, France)
114. American Beauty (1999, USA)
115. The Last House on the Left (2009, USA)
116. Tormented [Rabitto Hora 3D] (2011, Japan)
117. OldBoy (2003, South Korea)
118. Bangkok Assassins (2011, Thailand)
119. American Mary (2012, Canada)
120. The Paper (1994, USA)
121. SAW (2004, USA)
122. Thor: The Dark World (2013, USA)
123. Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013, USA)
124. A Madea Christmas (2013, USA)

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Friday, January 4, 2013

Notable KPop Rookies of 2012

The industry has been obviously saturated with rookies since 2010 (more so in 2011). It seems like companies are even more desperate for cash this year and there's been more than 50 rookie groups that have been introduced to the kpop scene. Quite ridiculous, right? Well, I've checked out some of these groups over the course of time and here's a list of notable rookies that left an impression on me, whether negative or positive.

NU'EST
Debuting with a reminiscent 90's electro-pop mixed with that obnoxious dubstep dance break song called "FACE", I couldn't get into this group at all. Although they are very much polished in the looks department, group and video wise, I couldn't get over this simplistic sound. Ren turned me off a lot. He seemed...out of a place. Somehow with the hard hitting "Action" made me give them a more serious chance. The image was edgier and Ren looked less like a visual kei reject or wannabe. They have potential and have garnered some respect as underdogs with the whole battle between Exotics and Babies. Am I a fan? Not really. They've fallen back to their aegyo image and none of their latest releases have caught me like "Action" has.

EXO
The most overly promoted rookie group of 2012, Planet EXO, brought to you by the makers of Super Junior and SNSD -- SM Entertainment. I've rambled about the marketing strategy when they presented their "prologue" song called, "What is Love". It bothered me that they were skirting around calling this song and their follow-up "History" a prologue to an official debut. Do I still think that SM Ent. wasted loads of money on pointless and annoying promotional efforts? Yes. Do I still believe that EXO-M will be short changed for EXO-K? Of course. But I still cling to my bias EXO-M as the more talented and harmonized group between the two. They have also shown the more successful and play less to SM biases, in my opinion as well. On a positive note, EXO-M has the best chemistry with personality, choreography synchronization, and vocal harmonies. I also pointed out in my v-log that they are more expressive in their music videos as well. The obvious negative is that EXO-K, the most likely the main focus and main money maker of the two, lacks all of that in my eyes. If it's any constellation they have the most insane fans now. I'll definitely will be keeping my eye out on comparing the two and supporting EXO-M.

B.A.P
TS Entertainment accepted SM Entertainment's promotional challenge with a reality show and tough talk from the members of B.A.P. They took a slower, perhaps more clever approach with their efforts. Instead of pounded images of the group's leader with no real substance, the label placed Bang Yong-Gook in the pseudo-"Flashing Lights" music video with Secret's Song Ji-Eun, then smoothly transitioned to B2ST's tiny powerhouse YoSeob in a solo effort that reflected an Eminem and Rihanna duet effort and, for me, an annoying duo effort with future group mate Zelo in a more upbeat effort. I was saddened to hear the talented Bang Yong Guk would be stuck in some rookie group with this cutesy young blonde Zelo. The promotions were interesting and shared that similar alien storyline. Kpop fans constantly compared them with EXO, but they seem to fall under the lines of former hip-hop inspired rookies Block B. The group started off strong with a bombastic debut, "Warrior" and used a technique to emphasis talent over appearance by dying the group's hair blonde. Unfortunately through the year, their music went downhill from there with repetitive lyricism and weak choruses in "No Mercy" and "Power". I assume the label tried to broaden their appeal by putting aside the harden, masculine image for a more soft, aegyo one that didn't sit right for me. Although the group is very much overrated in the rookie department with EXO, I'm hoping they'll return to their original concept and work on being less try-hard in the aggressive area.

Six Bomb
With one kinda known song under their belt, it doesn't look like a positive start for these six ladies and they may be forgotten this year. I must admit watching the low budget debut "Chiki Chiki Bomb" took at least a couple viewings, but the song was undeniably catchy. If kpop fans actually give their first CD release a chance, they would learn that these ladies do bare some talent beyond their low production and simplistic wardrobe. It's not all about the money, guys. [Check out "Baby Boy"]

ChAOS
I mentioned earlier this year that these rookies left a bad first impression on me. "She Is Coming" showcased basic choreography and visuals with horrific styling for the boys. On the plus side, I could definitely admit that these young men did carry some strong pipes, but the debut song was quite unfortunate. Luckily, "Racer" roughened up their imagery and brought something with a little more personality, while "Kiss Kiss" contrast with a softer, more artsy indies touch that reeled me in more than their debut. I'm hoping they don't fall victim to boy band trends and utilize their strong vocal powers to intimidate their competitors.

SPICA
It feels blasphemous calling these ladies rookies when they possess such strong vocals. Stronger than most popular girl groups that are very well established. I've already went into the back story with my relationship and a little bit about them in my promo post. After the release of "Painkiller" and their first full mini-album, SPICA easily booted 2NE1 out of their spot as my favorite female kpop group. Sure, their choreography isn't the most elaborate, but I'll take passionate vocals any day. Similar to B.A.P, they took an anonymous sort of debut in "Potently" by not appearing which I mention in the promo post as well. As the year went on, I'm not sure if it was the label or the members decided to take a new approach with their song "I'll Be There". The song felt like a step back for me, but I guess they were trying to go with a more playful image while use some 90's Janet Jackson instrumental. While "Lonely" was a half step forward, but sounded like every other female kpop group to me with miss A/Sistar pale visuals. Despite that, they still are my favorite and I'm looking forward to more amazing music from them.

EXID
Initially, I didn't like this group at all. I was upset that one of my favorite female rappers LE joined such a cheesy group and their debut song, "WHOZ THAT GIRL" annoyed me. Something about the vocals, silly chorus, and concept for the video put me off. "I Feel Good" was a little more tolerable and I didn't like it until after their release of "Every Night". It's nothing super complex and the styling is still bad, but something sticks more naturally to me. The chorus is nice, the beat is fluidly danceable, and the video is entertaining and relatable. With "Every Night", the girls followed the path of 4Minute, miss A, and Sistar with a sensual, simplistic style. It was less colorful and presented a more mature side of the girls, not only visually but vocally as well. The styling isn't the best as the biggest pet peeve was the visible bras. Otherwise, the video is creative and kinda dark with a little humor. They definitely have potential.

A-JAX
If you've paid attention to my music video recommendations, you would know that I immediately fell in love with this group upon their debut with "Never Let Go". Using the same tactic as SPICA's "Potently", they utilized familiar figures in the kpop industry and let their emotion filled vocals sell to the audience as opposed to their faces. They're not my favorite rookie vocals in 2012, but they definitely have a leg up on a lot of them as I followed each of their major releases. "ONE 4 U" introduced the handsome faces behind the lovely vocals as well as some amazing Grecian visuals. Of course, some audiences were quick to say that the boys ripped off SME's concept they used for DBSK and EXO, but I think they did it better...all bias aside. The vocals, music, and styling of the boys and video scream strength and perhaps the live choreography echoed that as well. "HOT GAME" broke out of the serious tone, but did a better job than SPICA did with their third release. The song is upbeat, a little more playful, but it doesn't take away from their vocals too much. Sure, this reminds me of Flo rida's "Low", there's some autotune here and there, and it kinda sounds like every other rookie, but something about it still stands out from the rest. Their dance skills are showcased more and you can truly see the boys' personalities shine. It's just a charming video~ Their last entry for the year was a response video to SNSD's "Run Devil Run" called "2MYX" (read "to my ex", clever, right?), which I can actually see more clearly than NassuN & G.O's effort in "O-IWI-O". This video combines that charisma and dance talent from their previous video with their maturity from the beginning. It's nothing spectacular like their first two videos, but it's still pretty good and worth checking out. I will definitely will be keeping up with them.

JJ Project
Well, JYP tried to put himself in the ring of rookies with a male duo. I found them different from his other projects and fell on the lines of 2PM's "Hands Up". From the hip-hop-esque electro instrumental track and the annoying bouncing camera movements. I know, it's supposed to go with the title of the song, "Bounce", but I never was a fan of this movement when I saw it 2PM's video. It's nothing special musically, but it has some smooth transitions with hip-hop, electro-pop, and rock. The choreography is quite impressive and the vocals aren't that bad. Mostly, I think they did what Bang Yong Guk and Zelo couldn't do successfully in their video, in my opinion. I wish there was more effort put forth on the duo during 2012, but there's always 2013 and I hope JYP doesn't forget about them either.

BtoB
I think it took me a couple listens of their debut song "Insane" to truly give them a chance. The song is very lovey dovey semi-grating to me on certain days. It's not a terrible song, but it was like ChAOS' starter song. Although, I am so happy I checked out the b-side because I absolute love "Imagine". It showed off the members' vocal range, harmonization, and strength more steadily than "Insane". It's truly a beautiful song and even live you can feel the power of the lyrics. "Irresistable Lips" brought that same power from "Imagine" and made it more danceable. I didn't go crazy over this track and the video was pretty cliche~~, I also got distracted by the girl's lips. >>~~ "Father" is less memorable for me, not that it was a terrible song, but I tend to avoid most tributes to parents ballad type songs. I know they had a song or two, maybe more of little digital releases or drama songs, but I don't bother with those, so...onto "WOW". It sounds like those 90's boy bands! One of the lesser known ones. I think I mentioned this before. Anyway, this reeled back to the "everyone sounds like this" sound. The visuals are very polished and it's kinda a shame that this song is so...dated? Not terrible, but not their best. The biggest challenge will be directing BtoB away from being another B2ST, but I'm still looking forward to what they have next.

CROSS GENE
Like JJ Project, the group only has one real music video promotional effort which is their debut for "La-Di Da-Di". I was a little skeptical with the intro talking part, but the song was very catchy and I couldn't help but abuse that repeat button. The visuals are extremely appealing and the choreography is simple, but creative in some parts. The instrumental sounds familiar, but the vocals lure you in. I'm hoping they don't get lost in the shuffle because they have a strong power behind them vocally and charisma wise. The choreography is quite strong for rookies too.

2BiC
This male duo doesn't feel like a rookie group either as they share strong vocals and mature presence similar to SPICA. Unfortunately, their first effort "Made yet another woman cry" wasn't the first thing I saw from them and looking at it now isn't anything I would watch nor listen to. It's not bad, but it's one of those usual slow love song ballad things. My first experience was "LOVE AGAIN" with rising female soloist Ailee. This song made me give Ailee a second chance as I didn't know she could rap like that. Their voices compliment each other so well. The song is catchy, mature, soothing, and alluring. The video has some classic R&B elements to go with the men's styles and some dancing girls that are a little distracting. "24Hours Later" is more a lounge type R&B. It's nice to listen to every now and then, but nothing I could repeat like "Love Again" easily. It has that drama OST sound to it with a twist of their signature soulful sound. Since they're a little slower type of R&B that I'm not really used to or fond of, I didn't really listen to much of their other stuff after that. If you're new to them, I'm not discouraging you from listening to it, it's just not my thing.

C-Clown
I will admit that this group didn't have the best production value with their debut video for "SOLO". The song was your typical electro-pop sound and shared a slightly atmosphere to old Big Bang and "Blue" Big Bang. It's not a terrible song either. The chorus is cheesy catchy and the choreography follows that, but the insertion of individual member pictures between scenes cheapened the video. Their follow-up, "Far away...Young Love", was more successful musically. It showed off their skills to emote through their acting and vocals. The story has been used before, but it was still successful in entertaining me. There's even a dance version of the video, but I won't go over that. The second promotional effort definitely gave me a little more confidence in the group's potential skills for the coming year.

VIXX
I think this group had the most colorful video debut for the guys in this list. "SUPER HERO" was an immediate click for me. The opening was less off putting than Cross Gene and the song was extremely catchy. I couldn't help but dance and smile to this as I repeated the track over and over again. The video is extremely visually stimulating with it's vivid pop colors from cotton candy and comic book palettes, while still having a slick approach used by groups like B2ST and MBLAQ. There's a lot of personality in this debut package and perhaps that's the reason they had the opportunity to guest at an east coast convention last year. Their second video for "Rock Ur Body" shared the same amount of energy and charisma. It's full of color and a cool video game theme. I hope I see more great, energetic music in 2013.

D-Unit
I'm sure this female trio was accused of copying 2NE1's "I Love You" with their muted colored debut "I'm Missin' You". Well, they were produced by similar sources. Sad to say, I might slightly prefer this more than "I Love You". Visually 2NE1 did it better, but musically D-Unit has more passion in this simple song. I think they have the right foundation, especially listening to their first CD release. The rap and singing are equally on par. "Luv Me", their second video contribution, reinforces this point. They display some natural attitude and passion with their actions and vocals. The song is a little more catchy and the video has the same washed out color palette as their debut. I would like to see more bold colors from these girls, perhaps on the lines of SPICA's "Painkiller" video. Otherwise, I believe they are headed in the right direction and they have some decent dance skills as well as the right backing.

100%
I swear it seems like these groups use the same 3-4 color palettes. Anyway, "BAD BOY" is very similar to C-CLOWN's debut effort. It's not terrible, but nothing new. The song's decent and there's moments, like the black and white scenes, that remind me of U-KISS, which is mostly a good thing. Unfortunately, I didn't actively seek out any more of their videos, but there are two more, I believe. I have listened to their mini-album which isn't that bad either.

EvoL
One more 2NE1 comparison from the public, but you know what, I'll give 2NE1 credit for bringing back the girls with attitude and sex appeal for girls like D-Unit and EvoL. Anyway, "We are a bit different" was an easy sell for me. The colors popped like some high production YG video and the chorus exudes attitude with a hint of sexuality. The vocals are on point and full of sass and energy. The choreography even matches the attitude of badass and sex. It's a shame they didn't have a follow up video, but I'm hoping these ladies don't trade their hard, rebellious image for the soft and aegyo or anything that doesn't fit this initial concept. Also, I must add that the rappers are very strong and cause a huge threat. [Check out "Magnet" dance practice]

AOA
This group is going to be difficult to talk about, but they did leave a strong impression on me. Upon seeing their debut video for "ELVIS", I knew this wasn't for me. It was too much like SNSD trying to be cutesy bad girls and you all know I do not like SNSD. The production value, the aegyo gestures, styling, and even the song was too similar to SNSD, but they had to throw in this seemingly pseudo-band thing into the mix. Whether they really play instruments or not, I could care less, but idol rock is not my thing. "GET OUT" was practically the same thing, but a little better with movie nods. So, it's obvious I won't be following these more talented SNSD wannabes.

Tasty
Well, everyone knows that twins sell, look at Boyfriend! "You know me" was this twin duo's debut effort which confused me at first, but I kept watching. The video is very simplistic and solely focuses on both men. The choreography isn't anything extravagant, but it's clear that the intention of the video was to display their dance skills. If you take that away and just listen to the song, it's kinda obnoxious and doesn't have much to it other than mindless dance music. I'm not completely sold on these twins, but they have piqued my interest in their future efforts.

24K
Last, but not least...one more male group. I think I have more guy groups than girls. Heh. Anyway, "Hurry UP" started off as a possible car commercial and I didn't know what to expect. The music and first few visuals made me a little wary, but then the first verse after the rap made me feel a bit better. The song isn't extreme, but it has some strong rap parts and some good vocals to build on for the future. It has a lot of attitude and some subtle charm. The video isn't anything new, but they tried and I'll give them that. The other video isn't a real music video just one of those fan things with candid moments, but it does display more of their vocal talents...and aegyo skills.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Movie Review: Whispering Corridors (1998)

Monday, January 28, 2013

Movie Review: Cello

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Top 15 Music Video Recommendations

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Movie Review: Mama (2013)

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Movie Review: The Hobbit

Introduction

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Movies Watched in 2013

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Top 13 Recommended Music Videos

Friday, January 4, 2013

Notable KPop Rookies of 2012