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Money matters: Will Mu create friction?
Graham Macdonald
MBMG International Ltd.
An excellent research paper published by BCA Research
is the basis for this week’s view. Much deliberation has been going on
in our office about our commodity exposure, particularly with reference to
Chinese growth, high prices and rising interest rates/slower US demand in
the year ahead. Much has been written recently about US$ weakness and
commodity price rises (including contributions by ourselves). We continue
to remain commodity bulls as long as commodities remain dirt cheap, from a
perspective of supply and demand. We have moved from a secular bear to
secular bull and price action has turned upwards since 2000. China and the
East are obviously key to this next bull cycle.
The G7 felt it prudent recently to invite China to
their Davos meeting, so what does the next economic powerhouse have to
say? Mr Mu is senior policy mandarin in the Chinese government and his
interview with BCA covered Chinese economic outlook, credit policy,
foreign exchange policy and China’s demand for energy and resources.
Mu feels the Chinese economy is in a low inflation
expansion phase, which could persist for some time, although the economy
has recently slowed a bit. The inflation threat is being removed as recent
oil prices have helped contain corporate cost pressures and the recent
decline in the USD is providing fresh stimulus. Mu is also pleasantly
surprised at how the economy has responded to the government’s
growth-curbing policies. To the “hard landing” forecasters, Mu reckons
they have always been bearish towards Chinese policymakers and will be
disappointed. While rhetoric like that perversely makes me even more
bearish, it seemed to convince many less perverse observers and Mu does
have many compelling arguments.
China has a mandate to manage a steady but fast growing
economy, as job creation remains paramount.
Mu points out that China had 15 million new entries
into the labour market last year. Yip, 15 million school leavers!
When quizzed on credit policy, Mu explained the surge
in credit growth and the central bank panic actions. Mu feels that the
action was “just in time” and that the falling RMB (due to a weak USD)
is proving too stimulatory. Interest rates may need to rise again as
fiscal policy is already tightening. Mu was adamant that the authorities
were not considering changing the exchange rate at the moment, although he
stated that the decision was not “if” but when was in their best
interests, and those favouring a one off adjustment were winning the
debate on “how” for now.
The conversation finally turned to China’s demand for
energy and resources. Mu stated that the high economic growth had severely
strained their natural resources. They are running out of oil, water
supply is a major problem, forests have literally been destroyed and the
mining sector is running on full throttle. China as manufacturing floor to
the world will need an ever-increasing supply of natural resources and
this problem needs to be addressed quickly.
Mu acknowledged risks to the story, although probably
not to the extent that we see them. However, in the short term, China
saves 45% of GDP and the authorities do need to promote consumption while
reigning in investment; problems that Alan Greenspan would love to face!
Mu was perhaps more concerned with the impact of US
policy on the global economy -”The US dollar is no longer (seen) as a
stable currency and is devaluing all the time and that is causing
trouble.”
He went on to say that “the real issue is how to go
about changing current US Dollar peg to a more manageable reference, say
euros, yen, dollars, that kind of diversified system.”
In our opinion, postulating about whether the Chinese
will or will not revalue their currency is pointless. Firstly, the Chinese
will only change their Renminbi peg when it suits them and secondly it is
not likely to make a huge amount of difference to the US’s trade
deficit. In a fascinating article in the FT, David Hale (a Chicago based
economist) wrote about why a weaker dollar is not the cure for the
deficit. To cut a very long story short, he pointed out that manufacturing
is now such a small part of the US economy, that to export their way out
of the deficit would require manufacturing capacity to operate at over
100%. This would in turn bring about higher inflation and ultimately a
recession in the US and ultimately a normal recession. The bottom line is
that the USA is not capable of relying on the export side of the equation
to clear the deficit; they need to reduce their purchasing of imports. If
the property market does struggle this year, we might indeed see a
reduction in the deficit, but that will come with slower growth in the US.
In more evidence that a Renminbi revaluation would not
be the cure all for the States, Stephen King (not the famous author, but
chief economist of HSBC) points out that China only accounts for 10% of
America’s total trade, hence a 10% revaluation of the Renminbi would
only reduce the dollar’s trade weighted value by 1%. This is small
compared with the dollar’s (trade weighted index) decline of 16% since
early 2002 and not nearly high enough to make any real impact on the trade
deficit.
Stephen King also points out that the Chinese might revalue their
currency, not because of pressure from the rest of the world, but because
they wish to switch to a more reliable store of value and unit of account.
It is ironic to think that the biggest problem for China’s current
exchange rate policy is not the Renminbi itself, but the performance of
the dollar.
The above data and research was compiled from sources
believed to be reliable. However, neither MBMG International Ltd nor its
officers can accept any liability for any errors or omissions in the above
article nor bear any responsibility for any losses achieved as a result of any
actions taken or not taken as a consequence of reading the above article. For
more information please contact Graham Macdonald on
[email protected]
Snap Shots: Black and White, and it’s not a minstrel show!
by Harry Flashman
A few weeks ago I was asked by a reader in Chiang Mai
whether there was any ‘classical’ Black and White film available. You
remember the type that is used with its own special chemicals for ‘dip
and dunk’. After that you expose yourself (figuratively speaking) with
the full creative control that only this kind of developing and printing
process can give you.
 Photo
by Irving Penn, master of B&W
Unfortunately, it is now more than a dying art, and the
availability of film (and labs that can process it, if you don’t do it
yourself) are becoming less. To be honest, I do not know of any outside Bangkok
that can help the amateur photographer these days.
However, all is not lost (yet). There may not be the
satisfaction of slopping chemicals into trays out of brown bottles under the
subdued red lights, but it is still possible to play with contrasts (as if it
were different contrast papers) using modern technology.
All the popular computer programs have a facility so that you
can turn off the 256 colours and get into the ‘grey scales’ that will allow
you to manipulate the images, as if you were dealing in black and white film
printing. I know it’s not as much fun as ‘dodging’ and ‘burning’, but
that is about where it begins and ends in today’s world in Thailand. In fact,
if you know of some dip and dunk labs I would appreciate the information.
How fast is your film?
The “speed rating” of film is generally given by an ASA
number. The higher the number, the faster and more sensitive the film. The most
“usual” film speed is about 100 ASA; however, it makes a lot of sense to go
for some different film speeds.
The trick is to adapt your film use to the kind of picture
you want to take. Confused? Don’t be. The rationale behind film speed is
simple. The faster the film (the higher the ASA number) the better it is in
lower light levels. To put it simply, if you want to take shots in the evening
without using a flash then select a film with ASA number up around 1600 or even
higher. That film is five times more sensitive to light than your usual 100 ASA
film. Or put another way, it will satisfactorily expose film at one fifth of the
amount of light that the “normal” film needs.
All this super sensitivity comes at a price, though. And
unfortunately that is “sharpness” and clarity. The faster the film, the more
“fuzzy” it gets. Sometimes you may want to get that “soft” romantic look
in a portrait. Again this is where you use the fast film and enlarge for the
portrait. That “grainy” look is now at your command! Good for “glamour”
portraits too. Around 800 ASA is good for this style, and keep the image small
so that you have to enlarge to get the final print. This increases the chances
of seeing ‘grain’.
At the other end of the scale, the lower (and slower) ASA
numbers need a lot more light for proper exposure, but the film emulsion gives
pin sharp clearly defined images. Pro shooter will often use 50 ASA film to get
that crisp picture that will withstand big enlargements.
If you have a camera with DX de-coding, then the camera will
automatically adjust for the different films used. However, if your camera has
manual adjustment for film speed, remember to set the new ASA rating or you will
have wasted a complete roll. And also remember to re-set the film speed when you
go back to your usual film again.
In answer to your question, what film do I use for everyday?
For me it’s 200 ASA for a good all-rounder, and I use a mixture of Konica
(nice and cheap too) and Kodak, if I can’t get the former brand. No matter
what film you use, though, keep it cool in its canister. Nothing ruins film
quicker than heat.
Modern Medicine: Foetal Alcohol Syndrome for boozy babies
by Dr. Iain Corness, Consultant
Foetal (Fetal if you come from the left hand
side of the Atlantic) Alcohol Syndrome is a rather serious condition, but one
that is very hard to circumvent.
To show you the relative importance of this condition, Foetal
Alcohol Syndrome is the western world’s most common and preventable cause of
mental retardation. The reason lies in the very easy crossing of the placental
barrier by certain drugs and compounds, and alcohol is one of those. When the
pregnant woman drinks alcohol, it is absorbed into the blood stream, and if she
drinks enough, she will get drunk. However, whatever the blood alcohol level in
the woman, the baby gets the same, as the transfer is so easy across the
placental barrier. So if Mum-to-be is uproariously drunk, so is baby-to-be!
While this sounds slightly amusing, if the exposure to high
(intoxicating) levels occurs during the first three months of the pregnancy,
while the baby is developing its various internal systems, this can cause a
breakdown in the completion of these systems. The end result can be central
nervous system problems, low birth weight and mental retardation. Some children
also suffer facial abnormalities, such as a small head, flat face, stubby nose
and tiny eyes set wide apart.
Now before all pregnant ladies who might read this run to
ring their obstetricians in a panic, let me also assure you that one drink does
not mean disaster! In fact, for some women, many drinks don’t mean disaster.
The research has been done (in fact is still continuing) and it confirms that
the effects vary widely - some babies escape harm, even though their mothers are
heavy drinkers, while others are severely damaged by small amounts of alcohol.
What compounds the problem is that many women who enjoy a
social light drink and the occasional heavy one, may be pregnant and not know
about it at the time.
The world incidence of Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is not
all that high at 1.9 per 1,000 live births, since there are many other
congenital problems that rate higher. For example, congenital heart disease
occurred in 10.1 per 1,000 births in the UK in 2002 according to the University
of Ulster who reported the research in 2003. The figures for Down’s Syndrome
are around the same level as FAS, but remember that the FAS statistics are
numbers that are preventable, whilst Down’s Syndrome is not under our control.
Because taking alcohol while pregnant is an ‘unnecessary’
risk, medical authorities over the world are calling for some sort of
‘blanket’ guidelines, with the USA. The Australian Medical Association (AMA)
President Bill Glasson, at the end of last year, called on the Australian
federal government’s health and research council to revise its guidelines on
alcohol consumption by pregnant women, which currently does not advise women to
give up alcohol during pregnancy, since the United States has recommended no
alcohol at all during pregnancy since 1999.
The AMA says there is enough evidence to support avoiding
alcohol altogether during pregnancy; however, a spokeswoman for the federal
health department said, “The National Health and Medical Research Council (in
Australia) guidelines were developed by experts in the field but are always
under review as a result of current knowledge …” going on to say,
“Pregnant women should consult their general practitioner about safe
consumption of alcohol during pregnancy.”
I feel that there is probably a ‘safe’ level, which we
cannot ascertain, and probably depends on many factors. If you get ‘tiddly’
very quickly, then I agree that no alcohol during pregnancy sounds reasonable.
Learn to Live to Learn: KIS – A tsunami
relief concert reviewed
with Andrew Watson
As the weeks roll by, December 26th 2004
becomes a distant memory for some. For others, the tsunami is the nightmare
which happened and will never go away. Whilst news editors take the disaster off
the front page and send it back towards the features section of their programmes
or papers, the daily struggle of individuals physically and mentally affected is
just as acute, the need just as great. This is not to malign the news media
industry – the process of prioritisation in their fickle financial world
demands a certain robust understanding of the market, which is by no means
bereft of genuine sentiment or indeed, action. Nonetheless, if the cataclysm has
receded from our consciousness, the responsibility to act remains the same.
Three weeks ago, I was privileged to be invited to attend a
tsunami relief concert at KIS International School, Bangkok, “KIS FEST –
Concert in the park”. It was a timely reminder of the positive work which can
be done when minds and hearts are joined.
KIS International School is (or was!) the best-kept secret in
international education. Managed almost exclusively by women of strength and
sensitivity, it is quite simply one of the best schools I have ever visited. Set
in the quiet and occasionally ostentatious oasis of Soi Kesinee in the middle of
the urban bustle of Hway Kwang, the school is a model of planned, flexible and
sustainable growth.
Aesthetically (perhaps this is the educated female touch?)
the campus is imaginatively designed and creatively orientated towards the needs
of the students. Resonating with the philosophy of Viv White, CEO of the
Victorian Schools Innovation Commission, a keynote speaker at the IBO Conference
in Perth, the buildings have moved away from the out-dated industrialized
factory or car park-like buildings which reflected late 19th century
institutions (and often house those of similar ilk).
No coincidence then, that KIS is rapidly becoming, along with
NIST (also in Bangkok) a model IB World School, where the Mission statement runs
through everything that the students and staff do.
I was generously hosted by head of school, Mrs. Sally
Holloway and principal, Ms June Van den Bos, who explained when showing me
around prior to the concert, how the school community had worked together and
reached out into Bangkok for this event. It was certainly an impressive sight.
The ‘Park’ was the school field (the Thai National Soccer
team train there; it’s that good) and erected at the school end was as fine a
stage as you are likely to see, festooned with lighting and an impressive sound
system. A team of unlikely performers were putting the finishing touches to
their rehearsal as we passed. They couldn’t have been more than ten years old
and they looked ready to ‘wow’ the audience with their dance moves and
vocals.
KIS is blessed with a highly supportive parent body who had
worked seamlessly with the management in recruiting some of the top acts in
Thailand, to be augmented by the KIS kids at the start and the KIS staff at the
end of the show. Any hopes the staff may have been harbouring that the audience
would have long since dispersed by the time of their performance, were awry.
At four o’clock in the afternoon, the KIS FEST kicked off
to a highly expectant audience, who lounged easily on the grass and soaked up a
carnival atmosphere in the sun. At times like these, it would perhaps be easy to
forget the purpose of being there, so it was reassuring and appropriate that the
audience was regularly reminded of the effect and the cause by both the
excellent sets of MCs and the performers themselves.
Sitting in the peace, equanimity and safety of KIS FEST, it
was salient to recall how such tranquillity had been so devastatingly shattered
around the Indian Ocean. A concert like this celebrates the resilience of the
human spirit and all that is possible when people work together in a common
cause. The sense of ‘giving’ and generosity of spirit was genuinely
uplifting.
The KIS choir delivered a gentle and uplifting entr้e,
before the professional performers, all of whom were performing free of charge,
began to strut their stuff. There were melodic ballads, rhythm and blues, funk
and jazz, delivered by cool crooners and mesmeric divas. All delivered their
sets with passion, panache and obvious enjoyment.
“Cinderella Rockefella” had bags of swank, the “Celtic
Colours” provided a feverishly tight set, dominated by some absolutely
exquisite ‘fiddling’. Kho, aka “The Saxman” was amongst the first to
acknowledge his screaming teen fan club and rewarded them with jazz of the
highest quality.
There were some brilliant individual performances which would
have been at home on any stage around the world. Bruno Brugnano, a KIS parent
and producer, who had been instrumental (pun intended) in recruiting the
line-up, is a brilliant and versatile guitarist. John Nuvo, Kop Sanawit, Kop
Songsit were captivating. They must have been good, they must have been enjoying
themselves, because (as all good concerts are) it was way behind schedule.
Yarinda sang with a voice as pure as driven snow. I’ve
never heard anything like it, really. Marisa Sukosol, Nadda Viyakarn were great
too. We had our Beatles section with the Lennonwise Band and some funky stuff
with the Hot Stuff Dance Band. Then those 10 year olds who had been rehearsing
when I arrived came on and brought the house down with some Bee Gees numbers.
Sensational!
When the staff finally got up on stage, it was about 1 a.m.
Workers looking down from their elevated position of the new secondary block
shouted their approval and wanted more. Then more still. It had been that kind
of evening, where the tragic remembrance of things past had served to remind us
all that the work still goes on.
Tsunami relief isn’t just for Christmas. KIS school and
their friends had demonstrated the indomitable human spirit. Long may it
continue.
Next week: Regents Senior Round Square Conference
 Heart to Heart with Hillary
Dear Hillary,
Her bar was closing and she offered to take me home on her motor bike. I
accepted and sat behind her. She gave it a fistful of throttle, the rear wheel
spun wildly as thick plumes of blue smoke and the smell of burning rubber
filled my nostrils. The rear wheel gained traction, the bike went into a wheel
stand and we roared off into the night. I wrapped my arms around her for
stability and grabbed onto whatever I could, but the sharp point of her elbow
pounding into my ribs told me that I had grabbed the wrong place. She was
racing through the gears and the bike was accelerating rapidly. I held onto the
seat as she swerved left and then right, just missing a telegraph pole. Ahead I
could see a bunch of pedestrians in front of a food cart and she was heading
straight for them. They scattered screaming and it was a miracle that she
missed hitting any of them or the cart itself. She kept accelerating and almost
collided with a telephone booth. It was then that I realized we were still on
the footpath. She turned onto the road and had that bike going full speed. We
overtook everything in our path. She shouted to me how pretty the lights were
as she sped through every red traffic signal on the way to my room. She had to
peel me off the seat and carry me inside, I think I was in shock. That night I
was good for nothing. She slept soundly but I sat in my chair shaking
uncontrollably until sunrise. Are all female bike riders this wild or was she
just anxious to get me home?
Mighty Mouse
Dear little Mouse,
You have such a poor self-image that you worry me. What’s this “I was good
for nothing” nonsense? You have to learn to stand up for what you want in
life, none of this lying down on the job and being a passenger through life, my
shrinking Petal. Goodness me, Mighty Mouse, being carried across your own
threshold by a little girl who rides a 100 cc step-thru is a little too wimpy,
really! However, if you do decide to give up this needless pursuit of ladies of
the night, I would suggest that you try your hand at writing, instead of
wringing. You do have a nice turn of phrase, even if not a nice turn of the
throttle.
Dear Hillary,
With my friend Leticia, I came here on holiday from the UK and I am appalled at
what I see. Letty and I are spinsters, to use the misused term, but still in
our prime, and available, and we cannot understand why men of our age are so
drawn into relationships with young and pretty Thai girls. Do these young girls
know how to play hockey? Have they ever ridden to Hounds? Could they produce
edible cucumber sandwiches or petit fours? They flaunt their bodies in
abbreviated garments, not a panty hose in sight on the lower limbs displayed,
that men seem to find attractive! We are the product of the finest education at
St. Witchley Girls School, Lower Beeding, England, highly skilled in all the
attributes to make any man a fine wife; cooking, needle point, punting and all
the social graces. I was even Captain of the School Skipping Team in my last
year, but despite this, we are losing ground to these young, nubile, scantily
clad local girls and when approaching some of our male compatriots with a view
to starting a meaningful relationship are told to get lost with such inelegant
and unwarranted language being used as reference to ‘cows and silly old
gits’ and sometimes some rather rude sounding foreign words. Hillary dear, do
you think we should try and absorb some of the local culture such as body part
patting, ear kissing and sub-table fondling to enable us to find our true
mates? Should we really discard our tights and modest wear for something more
revealing, expose our ankles and shoulders as a lure for love? We are ready for
anything you suggest. Adore your column and it’s clear that YOU have a
genteel background unlike so many others here.
Winifred Gruntfuttock
Dear Winfred,
Edible cucumber sandwiches! How could any man in his right mind turn you down?
And been to the Hounds and skilled in needle point too! What veritable paragons
of virtue you both are, slipping away from under the gaze of all these rough
people here in Thailand. Mind you, I have to say, genteel ladies that we all
are, you might have to bend to some of the customs of today, no matter how
crass you and I realize them to be. I agree that a subtle flash of the shoulder
here and there, a glimpse of the gams as you uncross your legs, will give the
effect that you are trying to achieve, of being glamorous - available but so
terribly “refeened”, you know what I mean. Personally I have given up the
ignoble art of body part patting, as I have found a quick grab of the goolies
gets the male’s attention a lot quicker, at which juncture you can stuff a
sandwich in his mouth. I hope you have more success following my advice,
Petals.
Psychological Perspectives: The under-reported story of Terri Schiavo’s eating disorder
by Michael Catalanello,
Ph.D.
The case of Terri Schiavo seems to have
attracted a considerable amount of media attention in recent weeks, both in
the U.S. and abroad.
As most are probably aware, Terri Schiavo is the
41-year-old American woman whose heart stopped beating in 1990. Although
she was revived, extensive brain damage resulted. Her husband, Michael
Schiavo, originally sought to keep her alive, hoping for a miraculous
recovery. Instead of improving, however, her condition continued to
deteriorate. She is currently in a “persistent vegetative state”;
cerebrospinal fluid occupies the space where her higher brain centers used
to be.
Eight years after the incident, Mr. Schiavo asked a
Florida State judge to rule on whether his wife would have wanted her life
prolonged under these conditions. Her parents battled in the courts to keep
her alive through mechanical feeding and hydration procedures, insisting
that therapy might bring about improvement. Ten courts have found the
parents’ case without merit, and the feeding tube was removed. Most
recently, President Bush and the U.S. Congress attempted to intervene by
forcing the case into federal court, but to no avail. At the time of this
writing, Ms. Schiavo remains without sustenance. Her death appears
imminent.
It is not my intention to add to the volumes that have
been written and said about the legal, ethical, and political issues raised
by this tragic case. If there is one aspect of the event which has been
underreported, it concerns the psychological disturbance responsible for
producing Ms. Schiavo’s heart attack, an eating disorder known as Bulimia
Nervosa.
Individuals suffering from “bulimia” episodically
eat excessive amounts of food, usually in secrecy. Later, they attempt to
compensate for the food intake to prevent weight gain. They do this most
often by artificially inducing vomiting; however, other methods may be
used, including fasting, excessive exercise, and the misuse of laxatives,
diuretics, or enemas. Depression and harsh patterns of self-evaluation are
common among sufferers of bulimia.
Prior to the heart attack that damaged her brain, health
care providers failed to recognize that Ms. Schiavo suffered from an eating
disorder, and thus failed to refer her to a specialist for appropriate
treatment of her condition. The courts subsequently awarded Ms. Schiavo a
medical malpractice award in the amount of two million U.S. dollars, or
about 77,385,000 Thai baht.
Had Ms. Schiavo been treated for bulimia, the tragic
events that followed could have been avoided. Frequently inducing vomiting
disrupts the balance of electrolytes necessary for normal cardiac activity.
In essence, Ms. Schiavo’s heart attack was self-inflicted, albeit
indirectly and unintentionally.
One of the most interesting facts concerning bulimia is
its tendency to appear at a relatively high rate of incidence in certain
societies, while remaining conspicuously absent in others. Equally
intriguing, it also appears with ten times greater frequency among people
of a particular gender and narrow age group.
Bulimia develops primarily among young females living in
societies that stress the importance of a slender figure. Only about one in
ten bulimia sufferers is male. The disorder usually develops during
adolescence to early adulthood, a very tender and impressionable time in
the course of human emotional development. Experts believe social pressures
on young people, particularly females, to conform to an idealized body type
plays an important role in the development of the disorder. Biological,
personality, and family factors, as well as attitudes toward food and
eating, have also been proposed as contributing to the illness.
Messages that encourage young people to conform to
socially-dictated standards of beauty and fashion seem rampant within Thai
society, particularly image media. Few contemporary young people appear
adequately grounded in the values and skills necessary to resist these
powerful pressures toward conformity. Furthermore, our societies often seem
lacking in the expertise and resources to recognize and treat eating
disorders and other emotional problems.
Bulimia need not result in debilitation and death. A
growing number of controlled research studies in psychology have supported
the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy in the treatment of
bulimia. Other studies have found the antidepressant Prozac to be helpful
in some cases. It is unfortunate that specialized treatment for eating
disorders is in such short supply in developing countries like Thailand.
It seems a cruel irony that the tragedy of the Schiavo case could be
averted if a tiny fraction of the effort that has been mounted to litigate
the issue of her right to die had rather been focused upon providing the
diagnosis and treatment she needed to conquer her eating disorder.
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Dr. Catalanello is a licensed psychologist in his home State of Louisiana, USA, and a member of the Faculty of Liberal Arts at Asian University,
Chonburi. You may address questions and comments to him at [email protected], or post on his weblog at
http://asianupsych.blogspot.com
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Sound and Vision
By Justin
Trousers
IDue to circumstances beyond my control (nothing
showing locally that seemed worthy of the 100 baht admission charge)
there is no new movie review this week. However, there are new movie
DVDs and music CDs in the shops to keep your eyes and ears refreshed.
DVD
The Incredibles
Pixar studios have an unbroken record of highly successful
animated movies, from Toy Story through Monsters Inc. and Finding Nemo to last
year’s The Incredibles. The strength of Pixar has been to always put the
story first, and The Incredibles continues that ethos with a great script and
cast of characters.
Bob Parr (Mr. Incredible) is a retired super-hero who now
works unhappily in an insurance company. His wife has a similar background but
now has to contend with three children, all of whom have some special
super-hero style talents which provide some special challenges to parenting.
The whole family is dragged back into super-hero mode in an adventure that
would leave James Bond breathless.
This is a much more adult movie than previous Pixar
offerings, making for an even more satisfying Pixar experience for those of us
no longer prone to biting ankles.
The movie was written and directed by Brad Bird, a name that
pops up on the episode credits of The Simpsons as “creative consultant” and
who directed the animated feature “Iron Giant” (worth watching). He has
given us nearly two hours of perfect cinema; rich, funny, exciting, colourful
and intelligent entertainment. Not surprisingly, last month The Incredibles won
the Oscar for best animated feature, as well as the Oscar for sound editing.
There are two DVD versions recently released in Thailand.
One has only a Thai soundtrack for the movie; the other has the original
soundtrack, check the details before buying. I didn’t and was rewarded with
the “Mr. Dough Head” award from Miss Julie (this happens almost daily, for
a variety of reasons).
Pixar always releases their movies on DVD with plenty of
extras and The Incredibles comes with an extra disk of supplementary features
including a cute mini-movie called Jack Attack and the usual “making of”
features. From the latter you get the impression that Brad Bird is not the
easiest person to work with and that Pixar employs exceedingly smart, if
strangely attired people who work in a complex that looks more like a toy shop
than a development studio.
A must-have for your collection and Pixar DVDs always look
so good on your TV.
Saw
Another new release in the sub-200 baht price range. The
movie starts with two people chained to a wall in an underground bathroom which
clearly has not been subjected to any cleaning fluids in a long while. There is
a dead body on the floor between them with a tape deck in one hand, a gun in
the other and a head that requires the attention of more than a Band Aid.
Conveniently provided are a couple of hacksaws that are not strong enough to
cut through chains but might be enough for a chained ankle. Just the sort of
situation we all find ourselves in from time to time! Clearly this is not going
to be a movie about cute puppies; unless a puppy-sized mincing machine is
scheduled to make an appearance at some point.
As the story unfolds through a series of flashbacks, we
learn how the two characters came to be in the room and how their lives are
connected. We also learn that one has to kill the other before a set deadline
otherwise his family will be slaughtered and that all this mayhem is the work
of a serial killer called the Jigsaw Killer. There is an associated story about
a cop (played by Danny Glover) who is chasing Jigsaw.
All this serves as a basis for a number of tense scenes,
some quite gruesome and unpleasant and often reminiscent of “Seven”. There
is a huge twist at the end of the movie which, being so unexpected, leaves you
momentarily impressed. But then, when you have had time to ponder, you realise
the monster holes in the plot which make the twist untenable and you end up
feeling cheated.
Another problem is with the quality of acting, particularly
Cary Elwes as one of the inmates of the bathroom from hell. Towards the end of
the movie when he is required to portray extreme fear, he looks instead like he
is trying to cope with a particularly difficult bowel movement (which may help
to explain the condition of the bathroom).
In spite of this, it’s a brave effort for a first movie by
Australian James Wan, shot in 28 days for less than a million dollars and worth
a look if your definition and acceptance of gruesome extends beyond close-up
photos of Barbara Streisand’s teeth.
Music
Idlewild - Warnings/Promises
Is it just me, or are some bands losing their touch? Take U2
for example, still churning out U2 sounding music; but have they done anything
special since Achtung Baby (best album title of all time?); and do their more
recent songs improve on their early classics?
Another fading star seems to be REM who have not matched the
brilliance of 1992’s Automatic for the People; with only their latest album,
Around the Sun, heralding a slight return to form. Well, for those who pine for
the REM sound of old, have a listen to the latest album from Idlewild, now
available in local shops.
From a scruffy, messy debut album in 1998 (described by one
reviewer as being “like a flight of stairs falling down a flight of
stairs”), Idlewild have developed and refined their sound through to this,
their fourth album. The REM-like music comes from their use of harmony and the
poetic but obscure lyrics (e.g. “my anger is a form of madness, so I’d
rather have hope than sadness”), and indeed some tracks sound exactly like
Mr. Stipe and his mates. Other tracks are more raw and link back to their indie
punk roots. Another reason to buy the album? The vocalist is called Roddy
Woomble so he deserves some support!
Tori Amos –
The Beekeeper
Tori Amos and her piano burst upon an unprepared world in
1992 with the album “Little Earthquakes”. The back cover of the album
featured drawings of mushrooms which could only be described as phallic, a hint
that the music within was not the usual “girl meets boy” variety. Packed
with emotion, hurt, passion; Little Earthquakes was a revelation and is still
one of my favourite albums. Over the years there have been many more Tori Amos
albums but the intensity of her songs has softened as she has matured from a
young woman to a married lady with a child.
For example, Little Earthquakes had a song about her
real-life experience of being raped and other songs included lyrics such as
“boy you best pray that I bleed real soon, how’s that thought for you?”
The Beekeeper includes lyrics such as “driving in my Saab, on my way to
Ireland”. Spot the difference. So, Tori has grown up and is a happier person.
But the chilling voice and distinctive piano playing are still intact, and she
does include a track on her new album called “The power of orange knickers”
which will keep the phallic mushrooms happy!
The Top Trousers Tracks of the week:
1. “Float On” by Modest Mouse from the album “Good
news for people who love bad news”
2. “China Girl” by David Bowie from the album “Let’s
Dance”
3. “Pounding” by Doves from the album “The Last
Broadcast”
4. “Crystal Village” by Pete Yorn from the album “Day
I forgot”
5. “Love Pollution” by Feeder from the album “Comfort
in Sound”
What is currently taking up space on your iPod, CD player or
wind-up gramophone? Let me know.
And finally:
If you have any comments, questions or constructive abuse,
feel free to contact me at [email protected]. Alternatively, and
preferably, if you wish to dispose of substantial quantities of spare cash,
please put large denomination, unmarked notes in a plain brown, sealed
envelope, clearly marked “Baht Bus driver’s instruction manual; attention
of Khun Trousers” and leave it behind the dustbins in Soi 9. Thank you in
advance.
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