The Dark Knight

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Don’t worry, this isn’t going to turn into a movie reviews blog. I know I’m behind most of you in watching The Dark Knight (TDK from now on) but after all the hype (I enjoyed Batman Begins, also directed by Christopher Nolan) I was eager to watch this second installment, and I just had to blog about it.

In a word, this movie is intense. Although clocking in at just over 2 hours 30 minutes, it didn’t feel long to me. I forgot about my everyday woes and just lost myself while watching TDK. With sterling performances by Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Eric Roberts, Anthony Michael Hall, Nestor Carbonell, Michael Jai White, William Fichtner (what a list!), superb direction and pacing by Christopher Nolan, not to mention the fantastic music score by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard…this is my movie of the year. If you haven’t seen it yet, what are you waiting for? GO WATCH IT!!

Some juicy rumors about the third installment – Michael Caine has purportedly said that Johnny Depp would be The Riddler and Philip Seymour Hoffman would be The Penguin. What an ideal pairing. Read it all here.

OK, I’m off for now. Here’s a taster of the soundtrack:

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 The Dark Knight (End Credits)

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It was the best of times…

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.
 
Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
English novelist (1812 – 1870)

The above quotation by Dickens came into my mind on the eve of my 48th birthday. My life has had some high points and some low ones. At the moment it’s more of the latter. The world (and mine) appears to have dark clouds hanging almost everywhere. Buyouts and hurricanes in the U.S., tainted milk products in China, bombings in Pakistan, the list goes on and on. And what do we have here in Malaysia? Rising fuel costs, soaring inflation, bickering politicians, etc. Dickens was describing the French Revolution with his quote above, but I think it’s almost eerie that he could be describing our century too.

I feel so discouraged when I see other people spending like there’s no tomorrow, and here I am, trying to save every nickel and dime. Anyway, I have to keep my chin up, and not let depression take over. Try to improve my blog and website, play some piano, go for morning walks…while waiting for the swimming pool to be ready. Trying to view my glass as half-full.

Behind every cloud there’s a silver lining…I’ll just have to hang in there.

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A new page is up: My Music

I’m pleased to announce the creation of a new page in my humble blog. It’s called My Music and the eagle-eyed among you would have noticed the new link in my sidebar. Basically, this is a page where I’ll upload my own performances, and maybe even do one of yours (if you ask nicely, lol). For a start, I’ve uploaded four songs, all from the movies. Dig in and I hope you’ll enjoy them. Please drop me a comment or two, it keeps me from feeling lonely.

The piano is still my favorite musical instrument. I did dabble with the electronic organ and synthesizers (during the 70’s – ah, that was the era of Progressive Rock: how many of you still remember Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Rick Wakeman, Yes-that’s the name of a group I idolized). Yet, this hefty instrument with 88 keys still beckoned and captivated me. And when I have a wonderful instrument to play on, such as my own Yamaha Clavinova, it really relieves the stress of everyday life.

Long live the piano!

Bosendorfer_185

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How a Piano is made

The making of a grand piano (courtesy of Mason & Hamlin)

If you can spare 10 minutes, this is an eye-opening video (courtesy of the folks at Mason & Hamlin) showing how a grand piano is made. It’s fascinating to see how much work is involved, and why a good grand piano costs so much.

A lot of people assume that if a piano can produce sounds, then “it’s alright.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Pianists are not prima donnas (well at least I’m not) but as I’ve mentioned in a previous post, to be able to play on a wonderful piano is like having a slice of heaven on earth. Give me a nice grand piano, and I could play for hours; time just seems to fly by.

So the next time you happen to see a pianist playing, stop and listen. It’s a divine interaction between a human being and an instrument, with both contributing equal amounts to what can be perceived as music.

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eScala’s debut album is on the way!

eScala String Quartet

I’ve just browsed over to eScala’s official website. The good news is that these four talented girls (Victoria, Tasya, Chantal and Izzy) are wrapping up their debut album. The release date is November 3, 2008; the album is produced by…

…the legendary Trevor Horn, famed for his work with Seal, the Pet Shop Boys, Cher and Tina Turner among others.

I, for one, can’t wait to hear the CD!

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The X-Files: I Want to Believe

Being a devout fan of the TV series, I wanted to believe that Chris Carter could make another believable movie of the X-Files. To say that I was disappointed would be an understatement. Compared to the first movie Fight the Future, this second installment is dull with very little excitement. David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson still have a wonderful rapport between them, but the problem seems to be the storyline, which could be taken straight out of Medium (the TV series starring Patricia Arquette, which is miles better than this flick)

At least Fight the Future had a better storyline and a more decent plot. Little wonder that Rotten Tomatoes rated Fight the Future 63% while I Want to Believe scored a paltry 32%. Mark Snow’s fantastic score for I Want to Believe overshadows this dud of a movie. I bought the soundtrack, closed my eyes and listened to it intently, trying my best to forget the movie.

The X-Files: Fight the Future     The X-Files: I Want to Believe

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Piano Idol

I must admit I was filled with a little trepidation when approached by the director of the Yamaha music school here to be one of the judges for their first Piano Idol. Nevertheless, I accepted the offer, since Mr. Fong and his wife Swee Lin are old friends of mine. Besides, who wouldn’t want to be Simon Cowell for a day (well, I wasn’t as harsh in my criticism as him). So the three judges Angie, Helen, and myself showed up yesterday at Hits Recording Studios, Penang. What a way to spend a Sunday-it turned out to be brilliant!

The show kicked off around 9:30AM. The 150 contestants were divided into categories: Junior, Senior, and free-style Ensemble. We (meaning the three judges) had fun listening to and judging them. There were several really outstanding performances, including one coming from a 7-year old boy who played some fantastic Chopin. And not forgetting the copious amounts of cakes, coffee, refreshments, a hearty lunch and dinner…my stomach was working on overtime. The competition ended around 8:00PM and after a splendid dinner, I went home tired but happy.

The proud parents and friends of the contestants packed the viewing area the whole day (it was in another large room and they watched on a big TV screen) and so it was a day well-spent. All of us had fun, and we’re looking forward to the Finals (where I’ll be judging again) next month, at one of the local hotels.

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