 | Creative Spotlight: Episode #209 – edIT of The Glitch Mob Mar 15th 2013, 00:04 
The Glitch Mob is a three-piece electronic music group from Los Angeles, California. Rising from the LA underground, one-third of the legendary music group, edIT (born Edward Ma) is an electronic music producer and DJ who just happens to be in the hot seat this week. Currently putting the finishing touches to their 2010 album ‘Drink the Sea’, we present an exclusive interview talking about his creative process, Asian films, and what lies ahead. Read below for the full Q&A… Over the years how has your live performance progressed and what challenges had to be overcome with 3 different people performing at once? edIT: Well when The Glitch Mob first began we started as a three-man DJ tagteam set and over time we have evolved into performing our own music live. I guess the biggest challenge we have always continue to face has really been the limitations of computer processing power and the limitations of Ableton RAM. When we first design the Drink the Sea live show we were experiencing some problems with crashing and I had sent this to my buddy Houston. He had told me the only live set that he had seen that were as large were running for Cirque du Soleil Las Vegas. Needless to say we had to to go back and simplify our live set a bunch. I think technology has really been the one largest limiting factor in all of our live sets. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ls-LYas5j8U Can you talk a bit about your live setup? What are you guys actually doing up there? How much room is there for improvisation? edIT: Okay so this is something that I’ve planned to cover in multiple videos right before going going on tour but I’m going try to make this sound as simple as possible. We use Ableton Live for my live shows and we sample a lot of the melodic elements and percussion elements from our songs and we used Abletons sample instrument to play those back live. So as many elements as three people can perform at one time that’s more playing live. And anything that three people can’t play out once all that gets thrown onto backing tracks. The beauty about using the computer is that you have the flexibility to change roles as much as possible. In The Glitch Mob it’s possible for anyone of us to play bass lead synths or percussion all-in-one song. Regarding improvisation we do improvise live every night we play. [For example] A drum solo that is completely different. I’m hoping that for this upcoming live show we can have a lot of those moments. Prodigy ‘The Fat of the Land’ was one of the first CD’s I purchased growing up. It was really exciting knowing you guys had an official remix on the re-issue. What is the creative process like on creating remixes. How hard is it to update the track to present time while still keeping the integrity of the song? edIT: Will first off I’m really humbled and honored that over the years we’ve become really well-known for our remixes and we become very sought after remixers. These days were very busy so we can’t always attack every single remix that gets offered to us. So when we do do a remix we really try to make it count. Now when the Prodigy and XL records approached us about doing a remix we were all really excited about it. I think the only criteria that we had was that we wanted to remix BREATHE and luckily Liam came back and he said he’s down for that and we got included on the reissue record. The creative process for making a remix is completely different every single time for us. I think the most important thing is really all about giving the remix what it needs. Sometimes this could be just as simple as sampling one tiny element from the song and creating an entirely new song out of it or sometimes like in the case of the Prodigy remix you really want to pay homage to the original song but at the same time you want to give it that signature Glitch Mob sound, attitude and flair. I considered to be one of the greatest electronic songs of all time and we try to make it even better but at the end of the day we try to rise to the challenge and I think we did an alright job. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWemXNsSl10 What are some other dream songs you would like to take a swing at remixing? edIT: For me, personally, “Roads” by Portishead’s, “The Water” by Fiest, and “Feeling Good” by Nina Simone. Were you surprised when Glitch Mob really started taking off? edIT: The answer to that is yes! I was surprised, I really didn’t expect the Glitch Mob to come this far. To me, the project really started out as three good friends making music together, having fun, and playing some shows. I had no idea it was going to catch on like this and I’ve said this countless times in many interviews–I truly believe that the secret ingredient and the magic of the whole Glitch Mob experience really is the fans and the community of people around it. Without them, The Glitch Mob would just be three guys making music, in a bedroom together. I’m really grateful to fans first and foremost and just for the opportunity to really get to do this in my lifetime. It is truly been one of the greatest joys of my life. Word on the street is a new album is almost finished. Could you tell us a bit about your mindset going in with this project and what you set out to accomplish? edIT: Yes the new album is on its way but I’m not to give away anything I will let you guys determine what the record means to you. What are some of your favorite Asian films? edIT: I really love one Kar Wai Wong’s Ashes of Time, and ChungKing Express. Johnnie To’s PTU was one my favorite Hong Kong Cop dramas of all-time; Election and Triad Election. Steven Chow’s Kung Fu Hustle is one of my favorites. Jackie Chan’s Armour of God is what got me into the martial arts genre. I also named my Dog after Miike’s Ichi the Killer [laughs]. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lN_MSyrq6-U The last album you worked on was described by Boreta as an album meant to be listened to as a whole. There are also albums that are meant to be listened to in headphones. How does this affect your live shows if people are now migrating not to just the dance-tunes but the narrative tunes as well? edIT: Drink the Sea was really meant to be a headphone listening record and I think one of the greatest challenges we experienced was how to translate that live. I think by the second Drink the Sea tour, we ironed out all the kinks and we were able to to learn from the first Drink the Sea tour on what would work the best for live shows. As an artist since it’s important to recognize that every tune can be played live but some tunes are going to work in certain shows better than others and it’s important to know what kind of shows you’re walking into and what kind of live set is going to work the best on that given night. What did you think about the Grammy performance with Foo Fighters and Deadmau5 last year. I ask for two reasons — one being if you saw it as a progressive step in electronic music breaking into mainstream and also what your stance was on playing live on television. Would this be something that would appeal to you? edIT: I personally thought it was a really good step in the right direction. Electronic dance music is huge right now, arguably the biggest form of music but it’s completely absent from all the late-night talk shows like Jimmy Fallon and Jay Leno etc. I think one of the main reasons being is how do you present on television without it [being a] DJ club scenario with people dancing in partying. I felt that DeadMau5 and Foo Fighters performance was a real good first step at kind of earing people into what Electronic music is in this day and age. As far as television performances, we have on G4TV’s Attack of the Show and it is something that we would definitely welcome in the future. Lastly, tour dates for 2013….can you let the cat out of the bag? Any new locales you haven’t had a chance to perform in that you are aiming to visit? edIT: Well, all I can say right now is that our tour is going to kick off this fall in the United States and beyond that nothing is really been confirmed yet, so I don’t want to talk about it yet. Peace!
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http://www.facebook.com/edITmusic | | Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons – Review Mar 15th 2013, 00:02 
Stephen Chow has been honing his skill as a highly specialized film-maker par excellence, notably with Shaolin Soccer, Kung Fu Hustle, CJ7 and now Journey to the West – Conquering the Demons; injecting photo-realistic CGIs, comic innovations and content with a moral thread. Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons is his curious new reboot of the tale after declaring his acting retirement. A prequel to the legend, it begins with the monk Xuan Zang (Wen Zhang, a poor replacement for Chow’s physicality and personality) still a novice and far from enlightenment. Show Luo’s appearance in this movie was like his usual funny-self in his TV entertainment news. I would appreciate it more if he would have neglected his usual style and adopted a new one. It’s not a bad thing, but it’s not a good thing too, it lies somewhere on the neutral side. I guess on the good side, his fans will love to see him. The classic story of Journey to the West is given a new twist. In the hundreds years old story the Monkey King was imprisoned by Bhuddha for wreaking havoc in heaven. He must seek redemption with Piggy, Sandy monk to help Tang Seng on his journey to seek enlightenment. I won’t give away the story of this movie. But I will say that I was very satisfied and that if you like Hong Kong movies or Stephen Chow’s movie, you must go to the theater to see it. A literally last-minute twist redeems the final act somewhat for viewers at all familiar with the ancient Chinese source material, but the disappointment still lingers, like realizing that the old class clown has grown up to be your son’s humorless high school principal. At least Huang Bo is both hilarious and malevolent as the Monkey King. Shu Qi, though, is a bit miscast as the tomboy demon hunter. This is most obvious in a scene where her supposedly rough and tumble character has to be taught to be sexy by Chrissie Chau Sau-na. 
Chow's modern adaptation of Journey to the West may pales, as compared to his 1995's duology A Chinese Odyssey, but the precarious adventure serves enough satisfaction with plenty of familiar Chow's signatures of slapstick humor and insensible action. This looks and feel like a good old Hong Kong movie. I love it. Sadly, the once exciting Hong Kong movie industry is a shadow of it’s former self. With most productions moving to China now. Unlike many other major blockbuster which tends to derail away with surmountable side stories, this one, however, is more focus. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aelriSQLqkc Spectacular fights and transformations ensue. The film is worth seeing just for its splendidly funny and alarming opening sequence, a riff on Jaws in which a waterfront village is menaced by a fish demon. It’s a tour de force of steampunk slapstick. Chow never quite manages to top this opening set piece, but it’s clear the film as a whole is merely a prologue, the journey of the title doesn’t kick off until the last minute. Hopefully, when he delves properly into the actual tale he loves so much, he’ll do it more credit than he has this fairly thin origin story. In his defense, the source material is a lucrative update of one of China’s most beloved literary epics. How could it possibly live up to the hype?
 | | Waiting in the Summer – Review Mar 14th 2013, 00:04 
The interesting thing about Waiting in the Summer is that it started airing during the winter, despite the fact that it’s a story set in the summertime. I think creators were playing the audience there; the harshness of the winter makes you crave for the warm, soothing, relaxing environment that you can only experience during summer, thus making the series feel more nostalgic to an extent. The basic plot is about some high-school kids who are making a film for fun during their summer break, and the way that their relationships grow and change during that time. With everyone spending too much time together, things begin to heat up between Kaito and Ichika and this stirs up some feeling amongst the group and love is in the air, rivalries start to rear their heads. Underneath it all, there is still the secret of Ichika's alien identity. This series can basically be summed up as “a more light-hearted Super 8 with slightly older characters” and I really liked the parts it did differently from Super 8. No giant militaries chasing the characters around and providing a convenient antagonist to move the plot around and causing the plot to forget it started off as a story about kids making a movie, nope Kaito is still filming even when things get heated towards the end. There are a few subtle hints throughout the series, mostly in visual details, that the story isn’t set in the modern day and it was fun to see how the kids were making their movie with all the cheesy special effects (and probably much more romantic than watching them sit around a computer and carefully time noises to video sequences). 
Even though this is set up as a Sci Fi story, I can say it knew its real purpose and ran us through the gauntlet superbly. I almost feel like the Sci Fi aspect of it was a minor plot device even though it plays a larger role as we wind down to the end. The characters are put together with a masterful development and slow played at just the right times. As a guy, I found myself identifying with both of the male leads and finding them both very likable, in fact, I found all of the characters likable in a way that made me look back at my group of friends during those years with a honest fondness that had escaped me for many years. Super 8 is a self-referential homage to filmmaking that’s about memories of our past and how we have the tendency to long for and capture those memories. Basically, the two stories (Ano Natsu and Super 8) focus on the idea of certain “normal periods” that feel, or felt, like a movie. In that context, both are Spielbergian, considering how they’re about normal people being caught in extraordinary situations. 
The characters in the show deal a lot with the concept of not being able to pin down their ideals on what it is to truly have a relationship with another person. While looking at the story as the series goes on, it may first come off as a knock off of one of those overblown dramas revolving around teenage angst, but the series really makes the whole thing work by balancing the more delicate parts with some well placed humor here and there. Personally, I felt the story would've been better told without the other fairly ridiculous plot quirks and revelations, but I guess those were inevitable anyway since they do come within the territory of science fiction. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc_Za_-87hQ The development and ability to provide a completely satisfying series in 12 episodes speaks volumes to the fine workmanship that went into creating this piece. Recommended definitely! The penultimate episode left hope for the characters, as Ichika learns she might not have to go home, but the finale finished in a bittersweet tone, in which the efforts of the main characters weren’t paid off. Suffice to say I was surprised several times – and that's a hard thing to do to me these days.
 | | xxxHolic – Review Mar 14th 2013, 00:02 
The world is filled with people and everyone has a wish. People always want the unattainable and oftentimes embark on dangerous journeys to fulfill their wish. Many disregard things to get what they want, like morals or even love ones. xxxHolic tells the story of these wishers and how their wishes are granted. Created by CLAMP and animated by Production I.G., Holic centers around a young boy name Watanuki Kimihiro who has two notable talents: a great cook, and the ability to see spirits. Just as people take notice of his fine meals, the spirits notice Watanuki as well. They often chase him to devour him or perhaps just for a little exercise. Whatever the case, he hates his second talent. On such a chase, Watanuki happens upon a little shop in the middle of two giant skyscrapers. Something about the shop draws him in; perhaps how the ancient building sticks out in the urban environment. Yet no one but him seems to notice it. Watanuki soon finds out from the shop owner, Ichihara Yuuko, that there is no coincidence – only the inevitable. Holic is a mixture of slice-of-life and the supernatural genre. A spooky feeling fills every episode that made my skin crawl on a few occasions. Of course, my heart is the size of a humming bird so I'm easily excited. I guess a good way to describe each episode is a scary story told around the campfire. Some aren't that scary, but some will freak you out! Things usually start out innocently, then everything is revealed to be much darker. Fans of CLAMP will also get a few extra laugh because this series is littered with reference, objects, and people from many of CLAMP's other works such as Card Captor Sakura, Chobits, and Tsubasa Chronicles. As a whole, the series is most strongly linked to Tsubasa Chronicles where Sakura and Li make a few guest appearance. However, Holic can definitely stand on its own with its own charm, memorable characters, and of course amazing stories. 
What I love most about CLAMP aside from their great story telling abilities is the diverse art styles. Each of their series have their own look and Holic is no different. Taking inspiration from Ukiyo-e (Japanese woodblock print), the artwork is heavily outlined and filled with a solid color. Intricate details are usually concentrated only on a few elements and not everything on the page. Interestingly, the Ukiyo-e style is the backbone to the Japanese "manga style." In a sense, this animated series is seeing a manga panel coming to life. Along with the style is the distortion of proportion to show emphasis. You'll notice that sometimes the character's hands are a little bigger than it's suppose to be. Storywise, this series is different from their other works in that the show is composed of many short stories strung together. Usually it is one omnipotent story that drives the plot onward. Here each story can stand alone, but at the same time provide insights and clues to a central theme for the show. Funny how once a wish is fulfilled, happiness doesn't always follow. Holic cleverly explores this notion inside and out. The show explains how a wish is created, what happen when it is formed, and how one can go about achieving their wish. Some cheats, steals, or lie their way to get what they want. Others do nothing, but doing nothing is also doing something and a consequence follows that action as well. Finally, others happen upon Yuuko's shop and she can grant the wish…for an appropriate price. Equivalent exchange is one of the central theme to the show. What you put in is what you get. Sometimes what you give up to grant your wish ends up destroying you, but that's the price. Another central theme is fate, but it is described as something malleable. Destiny is not carved in stone, but instead more like directions on a map. How one get to the destination also shapes the result and that route can always be changed. Holic is a sophisticated show that not only entertain, but also has some important lessons to tell. A clever blend of the paranormal and the mundane world create a landscape both unfamiliar and relatable. Definitely one to check out.
 | | Punch – Review Mar 13th 2013, 00:04 
Doh Wan-Deuk lives what most probably would see as a less than idea life as his circumstances have largely lead to him the position of no friends or real goals for himself due to the almost impenetrable aura he exudes when around most others. Perhaps some of this nature comes from being raised in the cabaret where his hunchbacked father worked as a dancer and took his son with him to work after his mother had vanished out of the family's life when Wan-Deuk was still an infant and so he was practically raised there. Whether this far less than optimal upbringing is to blame or not, Wan-Duek has become a second year high school student who would rather just work as he doesn't see what good an education will do him- of course part of his desire to quit is also be because he considers his homeroom teacher Dong-ju to be his enemy. This bane of his existence is an often brusque man who proclaims in class he sees little hope in trying to teach his students (and rarely really tries because of it), is fond of using physical punishment to correct his wayward students (usually Wan-Duek), can use crude language and reminds Wan-Duek of his meek financial state by telling him to take home the donated rice in the office which Wan-Duek had been avoiding out of pride in front of his classmates…rice which Dong-ju will often hit Wan-Duek up for as he lives on the rooftop apartment across from Wan-Duek's. With this background it probably isn't a surprise that Wan-Duek isn't terrible open about his emotions which has partially lead him to be a loner who at times thinks of running away and prays to God to be free of Dong-ju. But perhaps God does work in mysterious ways (or as Wan-Duek, suspects perhaps Dong-ju just gives God more money to ignore Wan-Duek's request) and it may turn out that Dong-ju may not be the worst thing to ever happen to the youth as Dong-ju knows where Wan-Duek's mother is which may start a new a change in Wan-Duek that he never could have expected or believed. Punch is a film that defies easy classification in a couple of ways as it has moments of drama and comedy yet its pace is such that it doesn't seem to be building to these moments as much as the film is a slice of a period of time taken from Wan-Duek's life that shows off some highs and lows (mostly highs) but which feels like it was designed to provide a different type of flow to things than many traditional films attempt. This different framing is pretty much at the heart of the feature as it allows for the characters to go about their lives with a minimum of initial introduction which at times pays off spectacularly and at other times can leave the viewer scratching their head at some events as the (often) absurd and varied members of the cast bounce off from each other in some moments that will provoke laughter at times and just some odd seeming moments at others. It is really here that the movie casts it subtle spell as it carefully uses the casts' quirks to charm and disarm the viewer and allow for the heartfelt moments to feel a lot less predictable than many other movies and which works to create a whole that really sets up the viewer to experience some surprises they might not expect at the time. 
The other side of the coin however is that the different pacing may make it hard for many movie fans to feel like they are getting a traditional story as the film's propensity to move at its own pace can make it difficult to connect with all of the moments or characters, particularly early in the film. On top of that the film feels like it has almost an abundance of characters and situations that sometimes see a resolution and sometimes feel like real life where the answers aren't always given in a short time frame or perfectly but it presents situations more like the individuals are now moving forward from a stagnant place. While the audience may not get to see the growth they wish for in the feature from all the cast sometimes seeing the germination of a person's growth can be as rewarding and as much as an accomplishment as meeting some preexisting notion of what would constitutes a "happy ending" for other films. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCzdeZcIGhA Even with its moments that feel oddly paced or a cast that feels a bit too big for the time run which leaves a couple of them feeling less than fully developed, the feature manages to overcome these moments with a pretty amazing skill in knowing just how to balance these odd quirks with a careful structure that gives the audience a chance to let some of the previous scenes to go onto a backburner and simmer which allows their reintroduction to feel both more real and more powerful as they come across as less staged. When all of this is combined with the decidedly less than "Afternoon Special" type of teacher, a vocal and obnoxious neighbor plus the exploration of just what it means to be a family with some of the other cast members that exist in this small community the film manages to bring in a sizable amount of heart and warmth that at times seems surprising given some of the pieces. It is the assembly off all these pieces which shows the influences on Wan-Duek on his journey from isolated youth to young man who is willing to reach out to those around him and embrace the strength to be willing to face the possibility of failure which allows him the chance to be so much greater than he would be by closing himself in. 
| | Wolf Children – Review Mar 13th 2013, 00:02 
The story begins with the start of the eponymous wolf children’s parents’ love, and progresses through births, deaths, moves, the first day of school, and their growth into adults. The story is almost too ordinary, but in its normality, its moments are universal. One can’t help but stare in awe at the beauty of life as it happens, and be reminded of the beauty of one’s own mundane yet special lives. The art is also quite something. Tokyo’s bustling life is reduced to warm glows of winter, and the Japanese farms and countryside is rendered beautifully whether it be in rain, sun, or snow. Watch it. It’s not of the same scale as Hosoda’s previous Summer Wars or The Girl Who Leapt through Time, but it packs an emotional punch Braving possible societal prejudice, the young lovers have two children – Yuki and Ame. Unfortunately Hana has to raise them all by herself. Being a single mother is tough enough, let alone raising two special kids who are so different from others. Like Hosada’s previous works, this film has fantastic and unique character designs; that aim more to realism and art-house scene than traditional anime designs. The story is very heartwarming and cute as time goes on, there are some dark parts that become very heart wrenching. There’s some very distinctive Ghibli influence in this piece of work, But I’m glad Hosada takes to his own territory. To some viewers it maybe a little too long running at almost at 2 hours. But overall its a superb anime film even if your familiar with Hosada’s other films or not Wolf Children is great and must be seen. 
For the most part the story is done quite well but at times some problems shows. The first one being that Ame, the boy wolf, comes of as insensitive, egoistic and very unlikable person. It’s not that easy to write characters that want reject their humanity but this just didn’t really work at all. Another problem was the first part of the Wolf Children, where the mother met the father. It’s fairly rushed and I really needed more out their relationship than montages and few scenes of brooding. And less we speak about the father’s death, the better it will be. To put it simply, it’s terribly done and just comes out of nowhere and leaves no impact on the audience. As Yuki ages and tentatively learns to trust those that aren’t her mother, Ame quietly retreats from the world and accepts a destiny inconceivable to his loving mother, who in turn struggles to stand by her promise to let her children live free from parental repression. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=be0vNu7NUA0 Mamoru Hosoda knows how to show and tell story well while being mature and both accessible for the younger audiences. It’s slightly more adult than Summer Wars with scenes of brief nudity and some adult themes going around. I saw Wolf Children in Japanese with English subtitles and the voice acting was good as you might expect. No huge standouts, just quality work all round the place. With deliberate pacing and thoughtful composition that allows feelings to swell as we watch cobwebs in the rain or waterfalls on the mountains, Mamoru Hosoda’s deeply moving and astoundingly contemplative work touches on the fleeting nature of life. Though devastating and gut-wrenching, the process of love, family and eventual moving on is considered a thing of beauty and something to be appreciated during the brief moments for which it lasts.
 | | Creative Spotlight: Episode #208 – Yvette Lu Mar 12th 2013, 00:04 
Yvette Lu is an actor, filmmaker, and family physician in Vancouver, BC. As an actor, she has appeared on the last two seasons of TLC’s Untold Stories of the ER. As well, her films have screened on television and in film festivals across North America, including at the Vancouver Asian Film Festival, the Route 66 Film Festival (Illinois), and on Shaw Multicultural Channel. On the other side of the camera, Yvette has worked as a producer, director, and composer for numerous projects. Frankly speaking, there isn’t much that she can’t do. Read below for the full interview as we discuss her film projects, past and present, and what lies ahead! Looking over your body of work I saw that you are not only an accomplished actress but also a producer, composer, co-director, writer, etc. How did you grow to become such a multi-disciplined creative? Yvette: I have always been very interested in the world around me. When I was young, I would borrow a bag of books every week from the library. In high school, I took courses in both the arts and science, and in university, my science degree was sprinkled with theatre and arts electives. It’s this desire to continue learning and growing that has led me to explore different ways to express my creativity, and I feel very fortunate that opportunities to experiment have frequently presented themselves! My first film role was in Food for the Gods, a short film about a brave psychic warrior who must choose between her true love and her duty to her tribe. When we were on set one day, I heard the director, H. Scott Hughes, talking about the musical score. He’s a musician and was planning on composing it himself. I thought, “Wow, here’s an opportunity to collaborate and work on my composing skills.” I’ve been playing the piano since the age of three, and had dabbled in composing, but had never tried anything as ambitious as scoring a film. Scott was happy to have me join him as co-composer, and we had a great time. I was already emotionally entrenched in the world of Food for the Gods as the lead character, so I brimming with musical ideas and we ended up using most of the music I came up with in the film. I was having so much fun, I gradually became more and more involved in the post-production aspects of the film. Music branched into sound design, then into other post-production tasks like marketing and publicity, and thus I became a fledgling producer. Having that experience gave me the confidence to take on and initiate other projects. Shortly after, I was acting in a film about two sisters being attacked in China during World War II (Servants of War), and I discovered that they didn’t have a composer. I offered, and was delighted when they accepted! I see projects as a chance to explore, so I did research on Asian music and studied the musical scores of films like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and Hero. I wrote some haunting lyrical melodies and hired a wonderful Erhu player named Xu Qian to record them. He also plays on the Food for the Gods soundtrack. It all worked out really beautifully. Both Food for the Gods and Servants of War screened at the 2008 Vancouver Asian Film Festival. Many of my other producing and writing projects have had their origins in a similar fashion: an opportunity presents itself, and I jump on and hang on for the ride! 
In addition to your film work, you can competently take care of undifferentiated patients in a clinic. What brought upon such involvement in two totally different areas of work? Yvette: By the time I was in my second year of University, I’d pretty much decided that I wanted to study medicine. My grades were good, I enjoyed my science classes, especially those pertaining to the human body, and I liked the idea of caring for people and helping them in their time of need. However, at around the same time, I had started taking theatre and acting electives, and I discovered that I was also passionate about acting. I didn’t know what to do because my interests were so divergent! I didn’t know which path to take. A mentor told me, “You can do what you want, but you can’t do it all at the same time,” and another mentor advised, “Start Someplace, Go Somewhere”. So, with that wisdom in mind, I chose medicine and put my artistic pursuits on hold. Medical school is intense: you’re studying all the time, you’re up all night at the hospital, you’re in the anatomy lab on the weekends memorizing parts of the brain. Despite my busy schedule, whenever I could, I would do my best to inject artistic pursuits into my life. We had summers off, so I spent my summers acting, and in my 2nd year of medicine, I and some of my fellow students produced and acted in a musical, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, as a fundraiser for our medical school’s rural practice program, which sends students to train in rural areas. Over time, I have become more and more adept at balancing my different areas of expertise. It’s definitely a challenge! People often wonder how art and medicine fit together. I am certain that being an actor helps me to be a better doctor, and vice versa. Both require good listening skills and compassion, and both involve a deep understanding of the human condition. The analytic skills I hone in medicine help me with script analysis, and the flexibility of mind developed through creativity can only make me a better doctor. Plus, I am happier when I am doing both. It provides a great balance to my life. Stemming off from this experience you created a play that migrate these two experiences together. You stated that you wrote it to give a voice to patients. Why did you feel this was a necessary action? Yvette: My play is called Stories from the Closet: a play about living with chronic illness. It’s a research-based play inspired by combining information from structured patient interviews with research findings and my experiences in health care. Chronic illness is very common. Everybody knows someone who has a chronic illness. It could be migraines, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, inflammatory bowel disease, lupus, diabetes… the list goes on. What I found is that people with chronic illness are often isolated and misunderstood by family, friends, co-workers and health care professionals. There’s a stigma associated with illness, so it is hard to talk about, and in addition, since many people have chronic illness that is “invisible”, they are often seen as embellishing their symptoms, or being lazy, and are told to “pull up their socks and get over” whatever they are suffering. An illness impacts everything – your energy, your relationships, your job, your future prospects, your emotions, your identity… It’s hard to understand the huge impact that being ill has on your daily life unless you’ve gone through it, and the result of this is that it’s hard for patients to get the help they need and to communicate with their loved ones. Stories and theatre allow access to the emotional turbulence that these people can suffer, and I hope that the play can help educate family, friends, and health care providers of people with chronic illness. When I read my play, I frequently have people come up to me, sometimes in tears, thanking me for sharing this information and telling me that what I’ve spoken about is exactly what they are going through. When I hear that, it reminds me of how important this work is and that I must continue to educate people on this topic. More info: http://yvettelu.com/projects.html Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/stories.from.the.closet 
You have worked in both comedy and sci-fi. Which genre to you prefer? Yvette: That’s a tough choice! I love them both! If I absolutely had to pick one, I would to pick sci-fi/fantasy, and that just comes from my love of the imaginary. My favorite stories are those that take me to other places, times, and lands — ones with epic stories, fabulous costumes, stunning sets, and magical creatures. The funny thing is that as technology improves, more and more of these stories are shot fully green screen, and even the actors don’t get to see what the world looks like until it’s on television or in the theatre! As an actor, you have to have a really good imagination to work on these projects. Does the culture of Hong Kong influence your work at all? Is there any cultural roadblocks you experienced growing up? Yvette: I was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. I grew up in a family that follows a mixture of Western and Asian customs. The biggest cultural roadblock I experienced is that artistic pursuits are generally not seen as practical or proper careers to pursue by many Asian families. My parents have always been supportive but I know that they are sometimes puzzled by my continuing passion for the arts. What are some of your favorite Asian films? Yvette: I love watching films from outside North America. There are excellent Asian and international films that come to Vancouver each year with the Vancouver International Film Festival. I love how each country has its own unique flavour of humour and perspective. Two favourite films from Asia that I own and love are Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and Spirited Away. 
You also have musical training as well, as you demonstrated by composing work on film. What initially brought upon this interest and how has it served you? Yvette: My mom started me in piano lessons at the age of three. I still remember the audition at the music school. There was a long stairwell, followed by a stark waiting room. I was called into a big room where I had to sit at a grand piano (which seemed huge at the time) and play for a mysterious white-haired lady. I’m not sure what I played because at that point, I didn’t actually know how to play piano yet. Apparently, she liked what she saw because she let me into the school! Practicing piano every day was a huge part of my childhood. Sometimes I enjoyed it, sometimes it was a chore, but in the end it was all worth it. I’m very grateful to have music as part of my life and to my parents for bringing me to all those piano and music theory lessons over the years. Music is a language that reaches into your heart and touches your emotions, and like acting, it allows me to express myself creatively. As you might guess, I also love watching and performing musical theatre. People bursting into song as soon as they are struck by emotion… I love it! What is in store for you in 2013? Anything exciting you could share with us? Yvette: 2013 has been great so far. In January, I was one of the leads in a wonderful play, the Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre’s Canadian premiere of The Theory of Everything by Prince Gomolvilas. It deals with the challenges of immigration and ethnicity in North America. I played a single mom from the Philippines who has to deal with the burden of her past and her son growing up. For the spring, I have a lead role in a sitcom pilot about a psychologist who has a lot of quirky clients, and it looks like I will be working on a comedy sketch piece as well. I also hope to continue to do readings of my play, Stories from the Closet, and to expand my work educating the public about health and wellness. On the producing side, Nik Green and I (we worked on the Megami Saga together) are still submitting the two films we shot last summer to festivals, Alive and Kicking and Fantomes. Alive and Kicking (http://facebook.com/aliveandkicking.film), a documentary about two Taekwondo athletes with personal challenges, won Best in Show at the Near Enemy Film Festival in New Jersey last fall, and Beverly Wu (Xionko in Food for the Gods) received a best actress honorable mention from Asians on Film for her work in Fantomes, a short film about a pregnant assassin. I also hope to shoot another short film this summer, but nothing is finalized yet. And of course, I will be working with H. Scott Hughes on the music and post-production for the Megami Saga once he finishes up with Timekeepers. Food for the Gods gained a lot of attention over the years and I know there was a possibility of perhaps a series or more films coming out from this franchise. What is the status of this as of 2013? Yvette: Currently, we have already filmed two teasers that could be expanded into films or a series. They are currently in post-production and some trailers have been released. Scott Hughes is also writing a novel based on the series, and we have proposals for an anime or graphic novel version in the works as well. We have some great images drawn by Asuka Hazuki. It’s so neat to see myself as a manga character! The project is currently on hiatus as Scott has been called away to write the script for Timekeepers, a sci-fi time travel thriller produced by Canada (East) Films that will be shooting next summer. However, we expect to have it up and running again soon. Please stay posted [Links to the project at the bottom of interview]. Lastly, any advice for any actors out there? Yvette: I would encourage anyone who wants to pursue acting or any other creative pursuit to go for it. Start by taking classes and finding some teachers that you feel comfortable with. Acting can put you in a vulnerable position so it is important you find someone you trust to work with. Watch plays, watch films, read plays, read screenplays, read books about the field– all these things will help you. As an actor, you’re constantly being buffeted by external circumstances- the flagging economy, the roles available, tax credits, stereotypes, industry trends, etc. – and it’s important to stay focused on what is important to you, and to stay connected to what inspired you to become an artist. Whether you decide to pursue it as a hobby or a career, adding something creative to your life will be amply rewarding. 
To follow Yvette and stay up to date on all her projects please follow her cookie crumb trail below: Website: http://yvettelu.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/yvettelu
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Yvette-Lu/156765336164 – Megami Saga links: Trailer 1: Legacy for the Gods and Search for the Gods preview Trailer 2: Search for the Gods Facebook page: http://facebook.com/megami.saga Twitter: http://twitter.com/megamisaga Food for the Gods full film: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=285579978184775 Legacy for the Gods/Megami Saga Website: http://megami.food-for-the-gods.com/ | | Madadayo – Review Mar 12th 2013, 00:02
"Though it may be against the principles of this meeting, ask me again next year and the year after; please ask me Maadha Kai (are you ready). I promise that I will some day respond to you by saying Mouiijo (I'm ready)." The final film of Akira Kurosawa's fifty-seven year career is a tribute to and study of Hyakken Uchida, professor and author. Kurosawa was widely known to have a high regard for the man (and he wasn't the only one; Seijun Suzuki adapted Zigeunerweisen in 1970) and one can see many similarities between the two. The later career of Kurosawa focused heavily on histrionics and reminisced of things long past, increasingly absorbing the fanciful idealisms and truth-seeking of Uchida. This film is the adaptation of several of Uchida's essays. When the film begins, Uchida (played perfectly by Tatsuo Matsumura) has been teaching German literature for many years. It is the day of his retirement; it is 1943. He is revered by his former students. When he invites them to his sixtieth birthday celebration, they admire his generosity and modesty as much as they always have. Soon after, Uchida's spacious house is burned down by an air raid. He and his wife are forced to live in a one-room hut but are visited by his former students who deliver him food and beer. He sits outside in the rain with an umbrella as they rearrange the furniture to fit everything in the hut. There are many moments like this (in typical Kurosawa fashion); a fascination in the things that are frequently routine. Through the many ups and downs of Uchida's life, he is always accommodating and always poised with a philosophical tale of whimsy. He asks for nothing but does not shy away from revealing his dreams, his fears, his deficiencies, as long as he can transform them into fables that someone else might learn from them. 
Following his retirement he is known for being reclusive, busy working on the novels and writings which provide him a living. His former students express their desire to build him a proper home and, to celebrate, they throw a Maadha Kai banquet. With giant beer glass in hand, Uchida is encouraged to speak at length and so these banquets become tradition. He is a man who is depicted in many ways like a child – more akin an academic Prince Myshkin than a notoriously bumpkin Lennie Small; thunderstorms and darkness frighten him but he is always very specific reasons as to why. He is regarded as a child and a genius throughout the film for the similarities between the two are great: innocence and honesty are of the utmost concern. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bObIlquRNk Madadayo is an interesting film in Kurosawa's repertoire because his classic style is fluidly married to modern filmmaking. The editing is crisp and effective but this does not detract from Kurosawa's signature themes and well-framed shots. A vivid palette and fluid cinematography compliment the still scenery and grand performances. It is the dedication to a man who was admired by his pupils; the dream of every man advanced in age. It is a swan song that is optimistic yet afraid of death, realistic in its conviction yet whimsical in its sincerity. Like the man (both men), it is a mirror and an enigma, instructive and autobiographical.
 | | Kamisama Dolls: Complete Collection – Review Mar 11th 2013, 00:04
The Summer 2013 line up soon to open its doors so it is great to see Sentai rolling out blu-ray series of anime from Summer 2011 that I haven't seen yet. Kamisama Dolls as a series might take place in modern Tokyo, but the added twist of a power struggle in an ancient village that uses giant living dolls as weapons, makes the setting and story all the more intriguing. The series constantly brings up questions about the nature of the village, it's dark ways, and how all the villagers get drawn into this giant chaotic mess. One of the great things about the show is that it succeeded on so many levels. Kyouhei has a crush on a girl called Hibino Shiba who's also a student in the same college that Kyouhei goes to, after that incident with Aki, Utao did save her brother but made a mess since she's not mastering her kakashi (Kukuri) yet. After that, Hibino came to Kyouhei's place and asked him to stay at her house along with her father, it was her father suggestion, who he was from the same village, the Karakami village and the elders asked him to take care of Kyouhei and Utao. So, eventually Hibino knew about the kakashis and the discreet Karakami village. It was messy at first but you gradually get the idea after a few watching. The complex character driven story of this anime can be compared to Durarara's style of story presentation. 
I did like the fights. Plus the scenes revolving around those fights between the characters was good, too. I just wish I knew more about why the characters were doing what they were doing. It seemed as if they just had the characters doing whatever was convenient for the plot at the time. And this got me thinking, how awesome would it be if an anime had the testicular fortitude to actually kill the main character in the first episode, or maybe even half way through when your kind of attached to the main character in a way. Without spoiling anything, to be 101% honest it wasn’t what i expected. Although what I did find instead was a great anime with some very subtle character plots which help us all see the DEEP love and hatred of which any one can have from there name or place of birth. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWWbAFLbNh4 This series does indeed start off slow but after the 2nd episode things pick up rapidly and the cast and characters grow on you. In the end, Kamisama Dolls was simply aiming to create a solid setting to bring all the characters together, as well as racket up the intrigue. Rather than try and be any one thing, this is a series that doesn't limit itself whatsoever – it's a big story with big ideas and big ambitions, and it isn't afraid to do anything and go anywhere. The opening, "Fukanzen Nenshou" by Chiaki Ishikawa, is a great opening. It captured the anime's appeal and reflects its entire genre. The song has a nice beat to it and Chiaki's voice stands out pretty nicely. The other characters are scarcely worth mentioning, which might be this series major downfall, but if you’re in the market for a violent character study, this series is for you.
 |  The Place Promised In Our Early Days - Episode 2 Mar 15th 2013, 07:01 
After their promise to visit Hokkaido, Sayuri mysteriously disappears during the summer. Three years pass and Takuya and Hiroki have stopped working on the plane, taken different paths after the grief they suffered at Sayuri's disappearance. Although only in high school, the brilliant Takuya is working as a physicist at an Alliance scientific facility they know that the Hokkaido Tower, which began operating in 1996, replaces matter around it with matter from other universes, but they do not yet know why it does this for only a 2-km radius. And as things progress, more mysteries start to surface.
 |  5 Centimeters per Second - 5 Centimeters per Second Mar 15th 2013, 07:01 
Told in three heartbreaking chapters, we follow the young dreamer Takaki through his life as cruel winters, cold technology, silence, and, finally, adult obligations and responsibility converge to crush the delicate petals of true love.
 |  The Place Promised In Our Early Days - Episode 1 Mar 15th 2013, 07:01 
The story opens up with three friends living in Aomori, the prefecture located on the northern most point of the main island of Japan. In 1996, the three are in eighth grade, their last year of middle school, and they are fascinated by the Hokkaido Tower visible across the Tsugaru Strait to the north. In the meantime, the two boys have found a crashed plane, naming it the Bella Ciela. The three teenagers promise to one day fly to Hokkaido to visit the Tower.
 |  5 Centimeters per Second - 5 Centimeters per Second (Dub) Mar 15th 2013, 07:01 
Told in three heartbreaking chapters, we follow the young dreamer Takaki through his life as cruel winters, cold technology, silence, and, finally, adult obligations and responsibility converge to crush the delicate petals of true love.
 |  The Place Promised In Our Early Days - Episode 3 Mar 15th 2013, 07:01 
Sayuri is revealed to have been hospitalized over the past three years, having developed an extreme form of narcolepsy. But there's a bigger secret to her condition. As friction between the Union and Japan grows, can Sayuri reach out for help and bring the three of them back to the place of their childhood?
 |  Children Who Chase Lost Voices - Children Who Chase Lost Voices (Spanish) Mar 15th 2013, 07:01 
Al escuchar una extraña canción desde un radio de cristal, Asuna sintoniza más que una transmisión mágica de música. Pronto es transportada a un mundo misterioso donde deambulan bestias místicas y guerreros valientes luchan por sus vidas. Agartha es una tierra de belleza impresionante y peligro inimaginable, un lugar donde se cree que hasta los muertos pueden volver a la vida. ¿Pero a qué costo?
 |  Children Who Chase Lost Voices - Children Who Chase Lost Voices (Portuguese) Mar 15th 2013, 07:01 
Asuna, ao ouvir uma música em um rádio de cristal, acaba mais do que meramente sintonizada num fluxo mágico de música. Ela é logo transportada para um mundo misterioso, onde vagueiam bestas míticas e bravos guerreiros lutam por suas vidas. Agartha é uma terra de beleza e perigo inimaginável - um lugar onde se acredita que até os mortos podem ser trazidos de volta à vida. Mas, a que custo?
 |  Children Who Chase Lost Voices - Children Who Chase Lost Voices Mar 15th 2013, 07:01 
When she hears a strange song from a crystal radio, Asuna tunes into more than just a magical stream of music. Soon, she is transported to a mysterious world where mythical beasts roam and brave warriors fight for their lives. Agartha is a land of breathtaking beauty and unimaginable danger - a place where, it is believed, even the dead can be brought back to life. But at what cost?
 |  Voices of a Distant Star - Episode 1 - Voices of a Distant Star Mar 15th 2013, 07:01 
It is 2046 when a mysterious alien force begins their annihilation of the human race. Leaving behind the one person she loves, Mikako joins the interstellar battle as a pilot. As Mikako flies further into space, her only connection with Noboru are text messages sent from her mobile phone. And so - while Mikako risks her life to save mankind - Noboru waits. The two lovers, worlds apart, desperately strive to remain connected as the gap between them widens at a frightening pace.
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