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Horror and gore are the pet genres of Thailand’s filmmakers. ‘Shutter (2004)’ was a massive hit not only in Asia, but in America and Europe as well. ‘Shutter’ was recently released in the USA, but it was a different English version shot and produced in America. Ever since Shutter, I pinned similar expectations on Thai horror films that I watch, and this most recent one has indeed lived up to expectations.

Body #19 (2008) was released in January this year to a rather muted response. I felt that this was a misrepresentation of the quality of this movie and I felt that I should take this opportunity to introduce this movie. The story revolves around a Thai engineering student named Chon haunted by recurring dreams and inexplicable visions about an unnamed female stranger. The dreams become increasingly violent and he ends up witnessing the woman being murdered. He then experiences hallucinations of himself being dissected and chopped up like the woman and out of fear and frustration he consults a psychotherapist.

Amidst all his fears, he feels that it is the woman’s spirit trying to ask him for help. He then enlists the help of his sister to assist him to uncovering the truth behind the murder. As he delves deeper into the truth, the malicious spirit manifests itself and actually killed the people that he talked to, people who try to help him uncover the truth. A man gets burned alive by acid poured forth from the ghoul’s body and a woman getting lacerated and asphyxiated by a tightening coil of barb wire; Chon fears for his life and his sister’s and becomes increasing hysterical and frantic.

Since this movie was produced by the same studio that produced ‘Shutter’ and ‘Alone’, it would be likely that it offers a dramatic late twist in storyline. How right I was, but how wrongly did I guess. In retrospect, this was a brilliant twist, comparable to the ones in the ‘Saw’ series. For the sake of people who still do want to catch this movie, I will not be shedding any spoilers.

Although I am not a horror fanboy, I must say that I am inclined to praise this movie. This is one of the better horror flicks that I have watch to date. Story-wise, it was commendable. It was nothing groundbreaking but it was enough to make me sit back and appreciate the twist in storyline. Apart from the plot, my favourite aspects of the movie were the computer-generated effects as well as the music. The CG effects was so meticulously detailed that the gore was absolutely revolting. The hacking of the corpse of the woman was crafted so realistically that it did threaten to upend my stomach. Also, the sound design was excellent. The opera-style theme song transited from being classy to eerie and to downright bone-chillingly spooky. In horror movies, sound is an instrumental tool in enhancing the scares and this, Body #19 does to brilliant effect. Coupled with well-designed graphic displays, this show’s ‘boo’ moments will always jolt you.

One thing that Body #19 could have improved on was the length of the movie. Running at more than two hours long, it could have ended much earlier if the producers did not drag the storyline more than necessary. The trend of scare-moments in Body #19 became predictable after the first hour. Instead of choosing the climax of suspense to insert the jolting scenes, producers chose to insert a lull period after suspense reaches the peak, before unleashing the shocking moment. This was a change from usual horror flicks, but this happened close to every single time in the show, making it rather predictable towards the end.

All in all, Body #19 (2008) is a good show to watch, but make sure you have the stomach to digest the graphic scenes of dismemberment. No doubt, it was a very impressive effort by the production team and worth every penny for the ticket, but it is nothing spectacular.

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For someone who scoffed at the first installment of The Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian (2008) seemed an illogical choice for a night out at the theatre. I was readily convinced that the majority of the crowd drawn to this film is female and is watching the show only because of Caspian’s dashing good looks. There were definitely some negative points to the show but contrary to my initial expectations, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008) was a rather entertaining movie for the family.

For those who missed the prequel, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), you may find the review here. This episode continues the story a year after the Pevensie children stumbled upon the magical world of Narnia through a wardrobe. Although it has been only a year in England for the children, centuries have elapsed in Narnia since the time when they defeated the White Witch with Aslan. In short, the human race of Telmarines invaded and conquered much of the Narnia of old, their oppressive rule driving the natives into the woods and being exiled from the kingdom that the Telmarines have built. They were depicted to be savage and fearsome and were slaughtered to the brink of near-extinction. The dwarf Trumpkin summarizes the entire atmosphere best – ‘you may find Narnia a more savage place than you remember’.

The rightful heir to the Telmarine throne is Prince Caspian X, whose father was murdered by his power-hungry uncle Miraz. On a fateful night, Miraz’s wife give births to a baby boy, a male heir to the throne that Miraz plans to usurp. With help from his professor, Caspian manages to sneak out of the castle and escapes to the woods, rumoured to be the habitat of native Narnians. He ultimately blows the horn of Queen Susan of the old and unknowingly summons the four Kings and Queens of the yore. This causes the four Pevensie children to be magically transported back to Narnia once again.

Caspian had rallied the remnants of the Narnians behind him, offering them their freedom if they grant him their help to regain the throne. Upon Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy’s return, Caspian cedes the leadership to Peter the Magnificent. However, tensions escalate and emotions run wild after a botched preemptive assault on the Telmarine stronghold. The Telmarine army then marches to the Narnians’ stronghold for a dramatic faceoff. Despite Peter besting King Miraz in a one-to-one duel, the Telmarines proceeded to assail the outnumbered Narnians. The valiant Narnians held off their waves of attack but were succumbing to the massive might of the numerous Telmarine forces. At this darkest hour, the mighty Aslan, who mysteriously vanished from Narnia, returns with Lucy to turn Nature against the Telmarines. The Telmarines were thoroughly routed and Prince Caspian is restored to the throne. The remaining Narnians are welcome back into the stronghold to celebrate the coronation of King Caspian X.

From the trailers, it seemed as though Prince Caspian was a Lord of the Rings wannabe, trying to reproduce the epic battles, the alliance of motley characters and the triumph of the underdogs. However, the battle scenes involved are a great improvement from the first installment. This is especially true for the first strike at the Telmarine base. This was almost as good, or even on par with a Lord of the Rings scene. Fights were well-choreographed, relying more on skill of the sword-wielders than flashy camera effects.

One thing that was outstanding in Prince Caspian was the whole plethora of characters from Narnia. From the disgruntled dwarfs, to the magnificent and chivalrous centaurs, to the tiny but proud mouse-knights, to even the hulking, shaggy minotaurs. Although it was heartening to see former foes band together to defend their homeland, at times it seemed too easy for mortal foes like the minotaurs to so readily join Caspian’s band of warriors. It seemed almost convenient, also, that Aslan would mysteriously return from hiding to aid the Narnians to defeat the Telmarine army.

For a first timer, Ben Barnes acting as Prince Caspian does an admirable job of portraying the teenage heir as a proud and impetuous leader, who is torn by emotions – the feelings and admiration for this father, and simultaneous horror and disgust at his father’s part in invading and destroying Narnia. The four Pevensie children return more mature in this flick. Peter (William Moseley) has lost his schoolboy bewilderment and gamely steps up to assume his namesake (King Peter the Magnificent), somewhat arrogantly and impulsively.

All in all, this sequel is darker and more sinister than the first episode of The Chronicles of Narnia, making it less of a children’s flick. Having said that, I really did enjoy the sequel much more than the previous one. There was plenty of humour and it was quite entertaining watching Prince Caspian and King Peter bicker about their plans. A good family movie nonetheless, and definitely worth the money I paid to watch it.

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No serious discussion of role-playing video games can possibly exist without any mention of the Final Fantasy series. Virtually no other game series has perpetuated so many consoles and lived such a long life. In its many manifestations, the Final Fantasy series is recognised as fantasy role-playing at its best (table-top classics such as Dungeons & Dragons notwithstanding, of course).

In any case, the Final Fantasy series is everywhere. The most popular instalment of the series, Final Fantasy VII, has even churned out a mini-series of its own. Known as the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, the mini-series tells the complete story of the characters in the original Final Fantasy VII. This mini-series spans over many different consoles, and Crisis Core is its representation for the Playstation Portable console.

Crisis Core is in my opinion one of the best PSP games I have ever played. For starters, it is the only PSP game I have ever played to completion. In terms of gameplay, it is highly interactive with numerous mini-games and side quests to freshen you up whenever you need some relief from the central plot. The missions, accessible from any Save Point, are an excellent source of items and materia (which are basically orbs that enable your character to use certain skills) that help to make questing much easier. In fact, the missions sometimes provide valuable items that can save you from otherwise highly damaging attacks (hint).

Especially notable in Crisis Core is the rehaul of the combat system. Combat occurs in real-time, unlike in most FF games; the interface during battle is, in fact, especially convenient for real-time battles. The L and R buttons are used to browse between the possible materia and attacks you can use (which are shown as a row of orbs in the bottom-right corner of the screen). This allows quick selection of actions so you can respond immediately to what occurs on the battle-screen. The only issue with the system is the auto-locking target system which makes it difficult to control which enemy to attack. This especially causes problems in boss battles when you are trying to focus on the boss but the system automatically focuses your attack on a minion instead. Still, avoiding this issue is possible and overall, the auto-locking target system proves to be a rather minor problem.

The most major renovation in the battle system is the introduction of the Digital Mind Wave reel, or the DMW. The DMW is a reel that appears in the top-left corner of the battle screen and which churns out random combinations of pictures that you acquire as you progress through the game. The DMW provides certain benefits depending on how the numbers match up; sometimes there is no MP cost for using materia, sometimes you are invincible and cannot be damaged, and sometimes, two images match up at the side and the DMW pops up and fills the entire screen. At this point, if all three reels match, Zack (the character you play) will be able to perform a special attack, depending on what image shows up on all three reels. Occasionally, the reel changes and you get a chance of using a summon. It feels like a pity that you can’t use special attacks at will sometimes, but generally, the DMW makes combat feel a lot more exciting and can even save your life when things seem to be taking a turn for the worse.

In terms of the storyline, Crisis Core thankfully takes on the depth and complexity of most Final Fantasy plots. For those who have played FFVII before, Crisis Core provides a very powerful backstory (and tells you all about a character who barely appears in FFVII and makes a cameo appearance at the end of the Advent Children). For those who have not, the plot is intriguing and intricate enough to stand on its own. Of course, once you’ve finished the game, you can’t help but be fascinated at how the plot continues in the rest of the Compilation of FFVII series. In a way, Crisis Core then also functions as an excellent way to introduce yourself to the series, and to the Final Fantasy meta-series in general. In fact, with the way Crisis Core ends, you can’t help but stop thinking about the story, and finding out more about Final Fantasy VII (if you haven’t already played it) is an irresistible next step. But that, of course, is another story altogether so I shall not spoil it any further.

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‘Beyerdynamic’ is a name known and respected by true audiophiles around the world. Beyerdynamic audio products are famous for the quality and design, as well as durability. Beyerdynamic stands as among the top few brands like Sennheiser, Audio-Technica and Grado for high-end audio equipment. One of the more affordable pair of headphones from Beyerdynamic is the DT231.

When accessing a pair of ‘cans’ (the insider term for headphones), most important aspects to consider include quality of sound, comfort during use, portability, durability d cost. In my opinion, the DT231 has very good value for money and, overall in the above-mentioned aspects, fare very well for a mid-range pair of headphones.

The DT231 looks very lightweight. The cups of the headphone are compact and look nothing like the more bulky Grado designs. Whilst some hardcore listeners may not like this ’softer’ feel but instead prefer the trusty weight of heavier cans, the compact size makes it a very portable set of headphones. This means that it can be easily brought around in a bag, or even around the neck, making it the perfect companion for your iPod. Comfort-wise, this set does not pose any serious problems. The headband does not constrict the top of the skull and the cups fit snugly around the ears. As with any other headphones, the ears get warm after long hours of listening but I thought the material of the ear muffs could be selected specifically to trap less heat. There were occasional periods when I felt that the headphones was pressing slightly too tight on the top of my ears, resulting in a very slight ache after long hours of use.

When I plugged this into my computer using a Creative Audigy 2 Value sound card, I was quite taken aback. The retail price of the DT231 is slightly less than US$100, but after using it for a day, I was convinced that the DT231 was a steal from Beyerdynamic. This price range is considered low to medium-class for premium brands like Beyerdyanmic, however from the quality of sound from the DT231, it sounds more like a medium to high-end set of headphones. For me, bass is one big factor in sound quality and the DT231’s bass is solid and reverberating - just the way I like it. Music is clear and crisp, both high and low pitches are a joy to hear, even at loud volumes. Another feature that I really liked is the excellent noise cancellation. Basically the DT231 is closed, meaning that once you put it on, it isolates your ears from the environment. This makes for excellent outdoor use as it cancels out background noise and enhances the clarity of the sound.

For a pair of headphones under US$100, this pair of headphones has one of the best sound quality in the market. More expensive headphones from Grado and Audio-Technica may not be able to best the DT231’s melodious quality. Beyerdynamic DT231 Headphones should be your choice if you want to pay the minimum for superb quality. I have never looked back since I purchased my set.

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Step Up (2006) was arguably one of the most popular chic-flicks that was produced in 2006. Its highly anticipated sequel, Step Up 2: The Streets (2008) released early this year, was welcomed warmly by the public and soared to the top of the box office after it opened. Step Up 2’s plot is not directly related to that of its prequel but is actually a spin-off from the storyline of the first.

The second episode focuses on Andie, the ‘little sister’ of the Tyler Gage, the male lead in Step Up. In the original Step Up, the only real screen time we saw of little Andie was when Tyler was giving some pointers to Andie on street dancing in a basketball court. In Step Up 2, Andie is all grown up, with a mean and rebellious streak. She is a problem teen to her guardian, participating in illegal activities with a street gang called ‘410′. When Andie’s guardian found out that she was involved in a public disturbance case on a train, she decided to send Andie to Texas to start afresh. This is where Tyler Gage makes a cameo appearance - he returns and helps convince Sarah (Andie’s guardian) to let her stay, on the condition that she enrolls in the famed, elite Maryland School of Arts (MSA).

As Andie immerses herself into MSA life, albeit reluctantly at first, she meets and makes new friends like the nerdy-looking Moose Alexander and the charming poster-boy Chase Collins. As MSA and her new friends take up more and more of her time, she finds herself drifting from her 410 family. Eventually, she gets expelled by their possessive leader Tuck. She was devastated as she would be outcast by her friends and she would not be able to take part in the renowned street dancing competition known as ‘The Streets’. At this point, Chase suggested starting their own dance crew to compete in the streets. Initially skeptical, Andie eventually warms up to the idea after consolidating a crew of eight talented MSA schoolmates.

However, their participation in The Streets earns them the wrath of the influential 410 and in retaliation, the 410 wrecks a pristine dance studio in MSA. Andie is subsequently expelled from MSA for her participation in illicit activities while the entire school is warned. On the night of The Streets, her crew members, led by Chase and Moose, decided to risk everything they had at MSA to compete at The Streets.

One word sums up the entire storyline for this movie: predictable. Being predictable, means the plot is essentially typical and boring. The progression of the plot is largely unidirectional. It was obvious, by the way the story unfolded, that Andie would break away from the 410 and form her own crew. The finale was also not difficult to figure out and it was extremely cheesy, to say the very least. It seemed absurd to me how a volatile and hostile crowd at The Streets could warm up to and even cheer for Andie after a short 20 second speech.

Having said that, nobody watches Step Up 2 for the plot anyway. It definitely will not be winning any awards for originality or creativity, but you will be awed by how entertaining this film is. Who cares about the non-existent plot when you got dance moves like these? If you thought the dancing in Step Up was impressive, think again. Step Up 2 is all about crew-dancing, so you will teams of up to 8 people dancing in unison - break dancing in all its glory. I conclude that the almost-10-minutes-long finale dance scene is the best dance scene I have ever seen. It is the kind of dancing that will start an urge in you to start taking up break dancing lessons.

Another aspect of the show that I really appreciated was the soundtrack. Including songs like the wildly popular ‘Low’ by Flo-Rida, the soundtrack is absolutely groovy and exciting. Step Up 2: The Streets (2008) was a real visual and audio feast for me, and for me, this is one of the best ‘watch-and-forget’ shows in recent years.

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