|
Money matters: The China Syndrome
A five-dimension analytical model for deciding when (and when not) to purchase from the East (Part
3)
Graham Macdonald
MBMG International Ltd.
Five Dimensions (continued…)
3. Lead Time and Scheduling Stability. Ocean freight adds
four to six weeks to the delivery time from China to Western markets. The risk
of this extended supply chain to the core business needs to be incorporated into
any assessment of whether China is the right place from which to procure. The
time delay generated by the longer supply chain significantly increases the
chances of both stock-outs in the near term, and excess and obsolete inventory
in the long term. So procurement executives must carefully weigh several factors
to ensure that their lead times and scheduling remain stable:
• Because Chinese providers typically include large volumes
of a product in each shipment, buyers face inventory and defect risk.
Purchasing in large volumes means more of the buyer’s dollars are tied up in
massive inventory investments, a source of inventory carrying costs and,
potentially, obsolescence. Moreover, if manufactured defects are spread
throughout a shipment, that could mean thousands of useless components.
• For some product categories, ocean freight lead time can
make a Chinese procurement effort unwise. For instance, a manufacturer of
telecom infrastructure seemed to be a perfect fit for China because its wiring
panels required labour-intensive assembly. However, this benefit was cancelled
out because the manufacturer’s customers often demanded a high degree of
late-stage product customization and expected a rapid lead time. The
manufacturer was able to charge more for these customized products and, thus,
pay the slightly higher wages in Mexico and Eastern Europe for a quicker
turnaround on components delivered to U.S. and Western Europe operations.
4. Product Design. Engineering changes can introduce
instability even into mature supply chains. Because the items most frequently
sourced are components made up of other components, when an old version of a
product becomes obsolete, a change can create a cascade of incompatibility.
What’s more, manufacturing operations require time to digest new products and
processes; sub-par quality frequently corrupts operations during a transition
period.
The long lead time and large order quantities required to do
business cheaply in China exacerbate both these problems, because the arrival of
old-version components can continue for weeks after an engineering change. And
it can require an equally long time to take corrective action on lower - quality
parts - thus, the central product-design considerations when sourcing from
China:
• Products with one or more design changes per quarter may
not be suitable for Chinese procurement. Frequent design changes mean the
supply chain could end up with a continuous run of obsolete inventory and on a
learning curve that resembles a merry-go-round. Products that are stable for at
least a model year, such as automotive components, may fit better in a Chinese
procurement strategy, since they essentially involve a successful one-time
launch rather than continual incremental changes.
• China is probably not a good option when a high degree of
skill is required to implement design changes. Chinese supply chains are
challenged by the language gap, a lack of local technical capability for
implementing changes correctly, and the complexities of suppliers’ processes
for managing launches of new products.
5. Technical Capabilities. China is not currently a
viable option for highly specialized manufactured products made with custom
equipment, such as application-specific copper - wrapped coils or high-speed
connector assemblies. The processes used to manufacture such products often
require specific technical knowledge of product engineering or equipment design
that generally is not available among suppliers in new procurement markets such
as China.
By contrast, almost all suppliers can handle commoditized
processes such as stamping, casting, and manual electronics assembly. Companies
buying from Chinese sources must weigh two issues relating to the supplier’s
capabilities:
• Sourcing subcomponents in China and maintaining
technology-intensive activities in more highly skilled domestic factories will
probably yield a better total cost return than procuring the total product.
Technology-driven processes often need significant oversight if process control
is to be maintained. That frequently can be achieved only in sophisticated
plants in developed countries. When factory processes get out of skew in China,
yields decrease and the resulting scrap (as well as logistics costs) can quickly
overshadow savings generated by lower wage rates.
• The evolving sophistication of Chinese suppliers means
careful buyers can gain some important, albeit temporary, advantages.
Although products made with the least complicated, most mature technologies are
the best choices to source from China, the nation’s suppliers continue to
develop increasingly sophisticated skills. As a result, more companies are
sourcing process - sensitive products, such as rubber and machined parts, from
China. That can be a good decision when other critical procurement dimensions,
such as lead time, engineering changes, and labour and transportation costs,
favor China. It also can give a purchaser a boost over competitors who haven’t
figured out where to go to combine China’s cost advantage with its emerging
capabilities.
By analyzing the five critical dimensions for each unique
procurement initiative, companies can better understand their geographic
sourcing options - which products are candidates for being sourced from low-cost
countries and which should be purchased from more developed markets. If a low -
cost country is appropriate, assessment of lead times can help establish which
commodities can be sourced from remote low-cost countries (such as China or
India) and which need to be purchased more locally - from Mexico, say, or
Eastern Europe.
China remains one of the world’s most desirable sourcing
opportunities. Its wage advantages are not likely to end anytime soon, and its
skills as a supplier and manufacturer will only grow stronger. But as is the
case with any other procurement effort, obvious costs, such as labour, are not
the only factors to take into account. When the other, subtler criteria in our
model are considered, China may still be a lucrative gold mine for some
companies. Others, though, should be careful: The ore could be a fool’s blend.
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: Digital camera extended test - Canon Ixus 40
by Harry Flashman
As a race, human beings are extremely lazy. We will
walk to the closest shop, and pay more for the convenience, rather than
going the extra distance to get the item cheaper at the supermarket. This
is why Seven-11’s are around 500 metres apart!
 So
what has that got to do with the three month extended test of the Canon
Ixus 40? In fact, about everything, because the digital revolution is all
about convenience, and not about imaging, especially at the lower end of
the consumer market. While the up-market Nikon DX series can do just about
everything that the Nikon F5 can, this is professional territory. The
Canon Ixus 40 is point and shooters territory, and this should not be
forgotten. If you are looking for full manual control cameras, then be
prepared to spend the money for an SLR. The Ixus 40 is the digital point
and shoot alternative.
At the outset, I mentioned ‘convenience’, and this
is where the Ixus 40 has it all over the standard film compact point and
shoot cameras. Smaller than most mobile phones, it can easily slip in the
pocket or purse, but, and a large but - it is not a light plastic cased
camera, and will soon drag your shirt pocket down. I have found a mobile
phone leather case works well, and you can then attach the Ixus 40 to your
belt, from where it can be easily retrieved when the photo opportunities
arise.
The long-time digital users all state how much the LCD
screen takes from the battery, but since the camera takes more than 100
shots (provided you have a big enough memory card), this is more than
enough. I have also found that the battery recharges very quickly after
the initial long charge.
There is another reason to use the LCD to frame up your
photos, and that is the fact that the optical viewfinder, although it is
coupled to the optical zoom, is not through the lens, and has a much
smaller field of view than the LCD screen, which is through the lens. The
LCD is WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get), the optical viewfinder is
most certainly not. It is also very small, and I found it annoying in its
limitations. Canon could easily have dropped the optical finder in the
Ixus 40, in my opinion.
The camera itself feels very sturdy, with a reassuring
weight from its metal case; however, the cover over the AV outlet is small
and fiddly, and the battery and memory card door is likewise plastic and
not reassuring.
The memory card that is supplied with the camera is a
joke, the capacity is too small. Do some heavy bargaining when you make
the initial purchase and get the 256. It is worth it.
Getting final prints is not difficult either. All the
digital photo-processing outlets will very quickly (a matter of minutes)
download your shots on to a CD for around B. 150. After this, you can then
very easily scroll through them using the family PC, note the reference
numbers, and get the hard copy prints made for the album, which cost the
standard print film rate of around B. 6-9, depending on the size you want.
Undoubtedly the Canon Ixus 40 scores high in its
convenience in carrying, use (it is fully automatic) and getting the final
prints. In its operation, it is a case of turning it on, framing (it has a
zoom facility for people too lazy to walk closer to the subject) and
shooting. The visual focussing beam is quite powerful, and again this is a
reassuring feature. Even at night you can see what you are going to get.
Downside? The main one I have found is that with such a
small camera in large hands, it is very easy for the left index finger to
partially obscure the flash, which is on the top left of the camera, from
the photographer’s viewpoint.
At B. 18,000 I still consider the Ixus 40 to be good value, and as a
family camera, wins by convenience every time.
Modern Medicine: Be Happy - and live to 110!
by Dr. Iain Corness, Consultant
Can your personality determine your ailments?
Yes it most certainly can. If you are happy, will you really live longer? After
much recent research, including clinical studies, the researchers have the
answers. Be happy and stay well. Be aggressive and get heart attacks and cancer.
Now that does not mean that all happy folk live to be 110 and
the misery bags turn in their credit cards at age 45 - but there is enough
evidence to show that your personality type influences the kinds of diseases you
will get later in life.
However, this is research is really nothing new, it is more
of a reinforcement of previous knowledge. In the times of Hippocrates, the
healers were interested in the personality of the patient, because even then
they felt that this had a bearing on the disease process. This conclusion was
reached after observation of the patients. This combination of mind and body and
disease is the basis for holistic healing, and even though Hippocrates and his
healers did not have all our pharmaceutical treatments wonderful tests and
MRI’s, they did treat the person, not just the disease.
So why do we fall ill in the first place? Is it a personal
weakness, is it just “lifestyle” or just plain bad luck? Since I am not a
great believer in “luck” be it good or bad, my leaning after many decades of
medicine is towards a type of personal “weakness”. After all, you can take
two people with the same lifestyle but one gets ill and the other does not. Why?
Simply, the sick person was more susceptible than the other - in some way they
had a pre-disposition or call it a “weakness”. Simplistic I know, but it
seems to fit.
So what factors seem to be involved in bringing about the
pre-disposition. Genetics are one, and do play an important part. If your
parents are diabetic then you will most likely have the problem too, but it is
not absolutely inescapable. The modern scientific studies with large numbers of
people have come up with interesting statistics. One famous researcher, Eysenck,
lumped us all into four main personality categories.
Type 1 have a strong tendency to suppress their emotions and
tend towards “hopelessness” and are unable to deal with personal stress.
Type 2 people, on the other hand, are also unable to deal
with personal stress, but react to life with anger and aggression.
Type 3 is less clear-cut with a mixture of all these
personality traits.
Type 4 covers the optimistic and relaxed who deal much better
with interpersonal stress.
Using these broad categories and looking at disease profiles
that each type gets, returned some amazing facts. Type 1 was the cancer prone
group, Type 2 got heart disease, Type 3 got both while Type 4 people were not
prone to either cancer or heart disease. Can you see what’s coming next?
Eysenck did not stop there. He went on to show that when
people modified their personality they also modified their disease profile. When
you think about it, this is staggering stuff! By attention to your personality
profile you can modify your disease profile!
The most significant personality trait was “anger”. Learn
to modify your anger response (and this can be done) and you become less “at
risk”. This is approaching Buddhist philosophy and “jai yen yen” - but you
can modify your personality. That last sentence can make you live ten years
longer, happier and disease free. Forget all the wonder cures, just look at
yourself first! Hippocrates did more than say oaths!
Learn to Live to Learn: Meet the parents
with Andrew Watson
Living and working away from your home culture can be
as euphoric as it can be depressing. Leaving behind all that is familiar
for that which is not, is among the most difficult and testing decisions
a family can take, especially if there are children involved. One of the
central aims of this column has been to offer an insight into what
prospective parents might look for in choosing schooling for their
children. Thus, I was delighted and intrigued to talk recently with a
wonderful couple, Shannon and Patti McMullen, from Canada, about what
brought them to Thailand three years ago and more specifically, how they
came to make their choice of school for their children, Alana, aged 12
and Malia, aged 8.
 Shannon
and Patti McMullen, “It’s really been a tremendous experience”.
AW: How did you come to be in
Thailand?
SM: I work for an international helicopter company
– CHC Global. We have a base here. Previously, I was in Iran (not with
the family). The opportunity arose so the family moved – for the first
time.
AW: Patti, what do you do with yourself?
PM: This is a good vacation for me! I’ve chosen to
be home since our eldest was about two and I’ve continued that here.
It’s worked out really well for us.
AW: In terms of schooling, what were you thinking
before you arrived in Thailand?
SM: Initially, we were going to move down to Songkhla
and home-school, like everyone in the company. Patti came to visit when
I was doing a tour (of duty) and we decided that home-schooling is
definitely not for us!
PM: Shannon checked out U-Tapao and discovered that
there was actually international schooling available, which seemed
preferable. The children need the social dynamic of a school
environment. They attended both private and public schools in Canada and
they’re very self-motivated. We were looking for a place that could
provide an appropriate academic challenge. (Their eldest, Alana, has
just won a scholarship to Shawnigan Lake School in Vancouver).
AW: What else were you looking for?
PM: A child-centred environment. We were looking for
a place that was concerned with the all-round education of the children.
SM: I visited a couple of schools in the area. At the
first, I had an interview with a principal and left the office after
five minutes because it didn’t match the way we approach education.
Actually, the principal didn’t care. It was painfully obvious to me
that it was just money in the bank. I was in a dilemma, to be honest.
PM: You emailed me immediately!
SM: I did. I said, “This is awful and I’m
worried.” I had heard about this other school, out in Green Valley. I
called Patti back and said, “I owe it to the kids to take a look at
this” and off I went. The principal and I talked for three hours.
After speaking to this man it was obvious to me that the priority was
the children. We looked at all the children’s books and what the
children were doing.
AW: What made the difference?
SM: Leadership. It wasn’t just the time. He showed
us a heartfelt interest in learning and I could see it.
AW: The passion?
SM: Yes, it was there and we are passionate about
learning ourselves.
AW: What is it that has made an international school
experience special for your children?
PM: The cultural experience, for sure. Being with
children from other cultures and learning about them. It’s really been
a tremendous experience. Tolerance, understanding. You get to know
somebody, you get to know them well, you get to know their family. It
breeds tolerance.
AW: Isn’t Canada like that anyway?
PM: Yes, but we are surrounded by people who have
been in the same community for their entire lives, second and third
generation, and I think it’s very limiting for children’s scope in
what is now, a worldwide community.
AW: What about when you come across somebody who
doesn’t show tolerance, who might be aggressive, or mistreats you? How
can an international school teach your child to respond to situations
like these?
PM: In the same regard that we’ve come across in
Canada with the bullying issue.
SM: With zero tolerance. It’s dealt with
immediately. Tolerance in our international school is on a cultural
level because it widens the kids’ scope to such a degree that they
understand why other cultures do things. It’s not just “Those people
dress differently”, it’s “Those people dress differently, for a
reason and because it’s important to their culture”. When they go
home, they’re going to hear people say things and they’ll be able to
reply, “Well actually, it’s not like that”. They will spread the
word.
AW: Knowledge is tolerance? I like that!
PM: Our experience here, especially for our eldest,
has been superior.
SM: She has just taken off. You see, there is
mentoring down at this school.
PM: They have taken a personal interest in her love
of learning.
SM: One teacher (let’s just call her “Erin”)
has been unbelievable. She has ignited this thing and now Alana just
sits down and writes and that’s all because of “Erin”. Look, as we
all know, leadership sets a tone. We have experienced a genuine interest
in education.
PM: This school seems to attract incredibly dedicated
and well, talented, staff. They’re warm, they’re friendly, they’re
nurturing, they’re caring, and they deliver a product with value for
money. They deliver from Key Stage 1 all the way up.
AW: What would you do if you felt you were getting
short-changed?
SM: We would withdraw our daughters.
AW: Do you have any fears about returning home?
PM: Yes. Our public education system seems to be in a
low state of morale. I found that our children have been challenged
here. I have some concerns for our youngest, going back in the public
education system for one or two years.
SM: With the school here, we’re very happy.
AW: You sound it! Thanks very much. Happy Songkran!
Next week: Spelling “Intellectual”
 Heart to Heart with Hillary
Dear Hillary,
My heart went out to Winifred and Letty Gruntfuttock who were here on holiday
and couldn’t understand why eligible gentlemen seemed to go for the younger
nubile dusky Thai maidens instead of good solid British, jolly holly sticks,
breeding stock, who could make delicious cucumber sandwiches.
My partner and I now live here in this wonderful Kingdom so it was more than
holiday heartache that the eligible, in our eyes, gentleman seems to prefer
younger nubile dusky Thai young men to us solid, well established, well heeled
slightly older gentlemen. I mean being an ex chef I could whip up something
more interesting than a cucumber sandwich. Move over “The Importance Of Being
Earnest”, but all that is difficult to convey at a glance, however lingering,
ness pas! (sic)
The solution to the problem is quite simple, the answer lies not in the soil
but in MONEY and taste. Winifred and her sister should raise their sights and
go for Thai gentlemen rather than for unappreciative English, they will find if
they reward well they in turn will be rewarded beyond their wildest fantasies.
I mean COOMMEEOONN who in their right mind wouldn’t go for a silken skinned
dusky nubile Thai whatever in preference to a Foringer (as I believe we are
called)?
Next time Letty and Winifred come, instead of packing the cucumbers and thinly
sliced white bread (you can buy them here you know) they should pack plenty of
money and they, like myself and my friend would want to forsake dear old GB,
move here, buy a big house, fill it with Thai gentlemen and have a ball.
But PLEASE warn them not to put the house in any of the Thai’s names, don’t
leave their credit, ATM cards, any gold, any cash lying around, don’t buy any
farms and be prepared to be abandoned when the money runs out, which if they
follow the rules laid out could be later rather than sooner, think of the ball
Winifred and Letty could have before that happened.
Sincere best wishes for their happiness, hope they can pick up the Mail on the
internet when they are back in Stow In The Wold, seem like competent spinsters
to me, just need a bit of sensible advice.
RW
Dear RW,
I must commend you for sending in advice for Winifred and Letty, but they’re
not sisters, Petal. Where did you get that idea? Goodness me, they don’t even
hold hands and stay in separate rooms. Letty even sprinkles talcum powder on
her bath water so that she isn’t embarrassed by any reflections as she steps
in. Letty’s surname, in case there are other interested gentlemen out there,
is Crabcrutch, however, it is Winifred that is the dab hand at the cucumber
sandwiches, which we dined upon with a bottle of giggle juice that Letty picked
up cheap at Carrefour last month. Of course it wasn’t champagne, it actually
was just some Thai sparkler, pretending to be champagne, it wasn’t even
‘methode champenoise’, but needs must when the devil drives, as they say!
By the way, Thais call foreigners ‘Farangs’, not ‘Foringers’.
‘Foringers’ is the term used by people from Stow In The Wold to describe
people from London who come out there and buy up all the best properties and
then try to make cucumber sandwiches. That really sorts out the gentry from the
nouveau riche.
Dear Hillary,
I don’t know if you can help me, but I am starting to get desperate. I am
heartily sick of the never-ending story of road repairs. Even when they lay new
concrete, they will come along two months later and dig it all up again to lay
water drains. Every day another section of road is being re-profiled and trucks
with bitumen and road rollers are blocking the traffic. Any trip takes twice as
long as it should. Don’t they have anyone to coordinate the work so that they
don’t have to dig up the same roads twice? You might wonder what this has got
to do with you Hillary, but they have been digging outside my house for the
past six days and I can’t get to sleep in the daytime and it is playing hell
with my love life. Got any suggestions?
Stop That Noise!
Dear Stop That Noise,
I must say I certainly did wonder what the local road works had to do with me.
Goodness me, Petal, you wouldn’t catch me out there in the early mornings
with hair in curlers and a shovel under my arm. Carrying concrete for a living
just isn’t on, especially at my age, and with the terrible disease I’ve
got. I still find it amazing that they can say I’ve got a liver problem when
I’m lucky to get one bottle of champagne a month! Now to your insomnia. Have
you thought of going somewhere else during the daytime? To her place perhaps?
Or even ear plugs? But why do you need to sleep during the day anyway? Surely
you haven’t got a job that has you on night shift? In the meantime, why
don’t you go out there yourself and give them a hand. I’m sure they will
appreciate it, and the extra physical activity will make you so tired you will
go to sleep immediately.
Psychological Perspectives: A celebration of unity and diversity
by Michael Catalanello,
Ph.D.
When we look at individuals we encounter
in an international resort community such as Pattaya, we can’t help but
be struck by the diversity of appearance, language and culture represented
in the human family. A few people we encounter, perhaps those similar to us
in appearance or ethnicity, seem rather familiar to us. Others seem very,
very… strange!
Issues of human similarities and differences were
explored last week in the Round Square Regional Conference attended by 136
student delegates from 17 schools from five countries, including Thailand,
Canada, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand. It was my honor to be
invited by imaginative conference organizer Paul Crouch to take part in the
event. It was hosted by the Regent’s School, Pattaya on location at their
new Ideals Learning Center, tucked away in a remote corner of beautiful Koh
Chang.
The topic of my presentation with Regents students Liisa
Toompuu and Natasha Fortune was stereotypes and impression formation. We
presented some interesting findings from social psychologists concerning
how humans form stereotypes. In summary, people with whom we share
something in common, such as a country of origin, an ethnic identity, even
support for a team of athletes, comprise what social scientists label
“ingroups.” Those excluded from our ingroups form our “outgroups.”
It is found that we generally exhibit a bias in favor of
those in our ingroups, compared to those in our outgroups. We also tend to
perceive diversity among members of our ingroups, while viewing members of
outgroups as largely homogeneous. Finally, our initial impressions of
people often remain, despite contradictory evidence which we might later
encounter.
The conference theme of “same same but
different,” is a “tinglish” phrase familiar to those acquainted
with social life in English speaking parts of Thailand. Proposed by
Regent’s student Girish Balakrishnan, the theme served to introduce
delegates to the provocative concept of human homogeneity and diversity,
with a dash of our colorful local slang.
The theme touched virtually every aspect of the six day
event, from “Sawadee,” the exciting opening ceremony at the Regent’s
Globe Theatre, through activities and presentations, to the climactic
finale, “Choc dee,” the closing ceremony, consisting of drama
performances prepared by each of the eight “gluums” or small groups.
Throughout the event student delegates and their teachers were exposed to
various elements of traditional Thai culture, most for the first time.
A particularly memorable part of the event for this
writer was our participation in the Songkran festival with the island
locals. The students, dressed in colorful floral Songkran shirts, were
transported by boat to a remote fishing village where the local inhabitants
introduced them to the joys of water-throwing. At first seemingly
bewildered by playful children splashing water on their overheated bodies,
the students soon joined in the fun, launching strategic attacks upon their
miniature assailants.
Later, the group braved refreshing liquid sniper attacks
on the road to the village temple, where members of the community warmly
greeted us with ice cold glasses of coconut milk. We were then seated to
hear a welcoming address by the village authority. A live musical
performance and traditional Thai dance routine followed, specially prepared
for us by the village elders. We obtained live fish from our hosts for
release into the nearby stream as a traditional act of merit making.
The monks were on hand for chanting, and to receive the
traditional sprinkling of water and good wishes from guests and locals. The
elders were next to receive a sprinkling, followed by the teacher
participants. A few villagers tenderly applied damp powder to our faces. It
wasn’t long before the students and teachers joined the locals with their
individual interpretations of traditional Thai dancing.
Songkran festival, particularly when observed in the
gentle traditional way, is an elegant and at times emotional celebration of
Thai culture and traditions. I have previously taken part in similar
ceremonies, both here and in Thai communities in the U.S. Nevertheless,
observing the joy of so many young people from foreign cultures
experiencing Songkran for the first time, and the pride of the Thais in
sharing their culture with us was an experience that is hard to beat.
While Songkran is a uniquely Thai tradition, it seems to have universal
human appeal, reminding us once again that, although we are each unique, we
are undeniably “same same.”
|
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
|
Sound and Vision
By Justin
Trousers
Movies
Hide and Seek
 It
is always satisfying to have someone to blame; and I blame M. Night Shyalaman
for Hide and Seek. Not that he had anything to do with this movie, but “The
Sixth Sense” which he wrote and directed, made popular the concept of a story
with a twist, which has subsequently been used with a varying success in
subsequent movies. I also blame Robert De Niro. As one of the great actors of
our time we should be able to rely upon him to pick quality projects.
Unfortunately he seems increasingly to take anything that pays well; surely he
doesn’t need the money.
The first half hour of Hide and Seek is the set-up. David
Callaway (De Niro), having found his wife dead in the bath, moves out of New
York to live in the countryside with his daughter Emily (Dakota Fanning).
Naturally they move into a large rambling house with a dark basement in a
secluded area where the nearest neighbours are a little strange and the local
cop doesn’t appear normal either. There is a forbidding cave conveniently
placed at the bottom of the garden and of course they have brought a cat. Cats
are very useful in movies like this because they can be shut in cupboards and
then they will jump out when the doors are opened and scuttle away making
shrieking noises. Damn that was scary! Have you ever tried shutting a cat in a
cupboard? I have done so several times, usually by mistake because they get in
the cupboard, find a pile of clothes, rotate with claws extended until your
best sweater is ruined and then settle down for a long sleep. When you disturb
them by opening the door, they open one eye in a “sod off, no way am I
leaping and shrieking for the likes of you” sort of way, and then return to
their slumbers.
In the next part of the movie, all the derivative nonsense
that has been established is then used to keep us guessing about Charlie, a
friend of Emily who is responsible for an increasingly violent series of
events. Is Charlie imagined or is he real; and if so who is he? When the twist
is finally revealed it is clearly preposterous, but at least you know and can
look forward to the credits and escaping for a beer.
But the director has other plans for our time and the last
half hour consists of assorted good guys chasing the bad guy around the house
with much shouting and inadequate lighting, culminating in a showdown in the
cave which is the worst showdown in a long line of bad showdowns. There was
much shuffling and obvious boredom in the cinema at this point, especially from
Miss Julie who was clearly in need of the toilet.
Dakota Fanning is as impressive as ever and De Niro,
although average in his role, still had presence. But the film is not paced,
there is little in the way of actual suspense, the story is a cheat and the
ending is abysmal. Highly not recommended.
DVD
Ladder 49
 When
cats are not sleeping in cupboards they are getting stuck up trees and rescued
by firefighters. Apart from their cat rescue duties, we sometimes forget that
firefighters also have to regularly put their lives on the line to rescue
people and protect property, a fact that was thrown into sharp focus on 9/11.
Ladder 49 plays very much as an old-fashioned tribute to the
firefighters of America, complete with rousing music where appropriate. The
movie starts with Joaquin Phoenix getting into trouble while fighting a large
blaze and then follows his life in a series of flashbacks. John Travolta plays
the fire station captain who nurtures the new boy, helps counsel him as he gets
married and has a family, and directs the increasingly desperate attempts to
save him from the burning building.
Basically, this is a post-9/11 exploitation movie. The
character development is so weak that, even after watching Phoenix’s
character through years of his life, you don’t really care whether he gets
rescued or not. But I rather enjoyed being exploited. The fire scenes are well
done (would have been even better on the big screen), there is some humor, and
Travolta puts in a better performance than usual.
Corny but competent.
Music
The Distillers – Coral Fang
 A
flood of e-mails this week (in this context, “flood” means “more than
one”), including one from Manfred who is currently listening to:
Nat King Cole - At the Movies
Mojave 3 - Out of Tune
The Distillers - Coral Fang
A fine and varied selection, thank you Manfred. The classic
crooning voice of Nat King Cole, the hushed, shimmering tones of Mojave 3 and
the on-fire, screaming ferocity of The Distillers. I had heard of The
Distillers, but never listened to them; so thank you Manfred for the prompting,
they are great!
The Distillers is a vehicle for the voice of Brody Dalle;
and what an amazing voice it is. She manages to sing with passion and feeling
whilst maintaining an intensity that would have the rest of us scraping our
larynxes off the wall. Imagine PJ Harvey with double the lung capacity and
extra helpings of bile and angst.
Brody Dalle has had an interesting life so far. Born in
Australia, she met and married Tim Armstrong of Rancid and moved to L.A. and
formed The Distillers. After a couple of albums she went back to Australia to
work on her new album with Josh Homme who she then hooked up with and divorced
Mr. Armstrong. Cue much sniping from the music community. Not surprisingly
then, her songs are liberally laced with love, sex and hate, with death making
a guest appearance on a few tracks. It’s all intense, exhilarating stuff,
supported by driving guitars and great tunes, apart from the last track which
noodles on for twelve minutes and is best avoided. Brody Dalle is not the sort
of person you would want to meet in a dark alley; but she makes for a great
singer
Queens of the Stone Age -
Lullabies to Paralyze
 Talking of Josh Homme; as well as being the latest squeeze
for Brody Dalle, he is also the front man for Queens of the Stone Age. The band
has been through numerous personnel changes; but it has always been Josh
Homme’s band. A gifted songwriter and musician, Homme has produced the best
QOFSA album to date.
The music is varied and interesting. The first track
features just an acoustic guitar and Homme singing, the second is full-on
stomper. There are pop songs, eerie weird songs, great hooks and choruses.
Guests include Brody Dalle (of course), Shirley Manson from Garbage and Billy
Gibbons from ZZ Top (mock not, he was Jimi Hendrix’s favourite guitarist).
Gibbons and Homme on guitar on “Burn the Witch” makes this a stand-out
track. A well-crafted and enjoyable rock album.
Antony and
the Johnsons –
I am a Bird Now
 And now for something completely different. If you could
merge the voices of Nina Simone and Brian Ferry you might just come up with
something that sounds like Antony. Androgynous, ethereal, haunting, wonderful;
listen and pick your own adjectives, you will never have heard a voice like
this before. He could sing anything and make it sound haunting, but he also has
the songs to match. With sparse backing arrangements, his voice is free to
impart soul, sadness and longing to his wistful lyrics. If you are not moved
(or at least mildly stunned) by these songs then you are probably dead.
Rufus Wainright, Boy George and Lou Reed make appearances,
but it is Antony who dominates every track. This is an astonishing album. I
doubt you will find it on the racks in your local record store but you can get
it from the internet; drop me a mail at [email protected] if you are
interested.
|
