THOMAS PODVIN’S FREELANCE WORK
Freelance writer - translator - Editor

http://www.snda.com

Chinese video game operator Shanda, founded in late 1999, has grown to become one of the biggest companies to offer online video game services . Shanda sells both imported games from around Asia, as well as home-grown products, including South Korea’s "The Legend of Mir II" and the Chinese "The World of Legend", the two most popular online games in China in 2003 and 2004.
Specializing in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-playing Games (MMORPG) (their latest release was the cute "Magic Land"), the company also offers less demanding entries ("The Three Kingdoms"), in addition to electronic chess and board games. The site also includes an entertainment/literature portal (stories based on magic fantasy, science fiction and online games), and also a network platform for online PC games (the classic "Warcraft"). In two words, Shanda is "geek heaven"!

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
July 2005 issue

http://www.oneaday.org
Without daily practice, the possibility of mastering Chinese is as remote as Mars. Which is why oneaday.org¡¯s concept, learn an idiom a day, is so wonderfully practical. Since its launch in September 2004, this minimalist site displays Chinese idioms with pinyin and English translation. In addition, it includes an archive section and a search engine, both of which are handy tools for increasing your colloquial vocabulary. Learn how to say "Better to be a piece of broken jade, than an unbroken tile" and impress your local friends.

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
July 2005 issue

http://www.talesofoldchina.com/

You won’t find much about the complicated love/hate relationship between Westerners and Chinese people in history books. Which is a shame as these deeply-rooted patterns of interplay continue to affect the social behavior of both parties – and in much the same way. Tales of Old China attempts to decipher the complicated relationships between east and west of the past, poisoned, as they were, by arrogance and mutual incomprehension. This site provides an informative database of materials, in English, from 1840 to 1950. Required reading for modern, would-be colonialists, and anyone with an interest in China.

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
July 2005 issue

Arguably, Germany gave birth to electronic music. As anyone who’s ever partied there can attest. Of course, electronic music has branched out considerably since its early days, from pounding house, to, well, Naomi’s unique brand of chill-out electronic pop. "Pappelallee is a slow and relaxed album," Nico Tobias, one-half of the Berlin-based band told that’s.
Before forming Naomi, Tobias and friend Bernd Lechler, gigged in separate bands, with little or no success. Fed up with straightforward songwriting (and no money), the pair decided to try their luck with electronic music.
"We started to play around with samples and drumloops and that's how Naomi started," says Lechler. Several tracks and remixes later, they perfected their now trademark sound with the release of their debut album Everyone Loves You in 2002. The single "Go", chosen for an Amnesty International TV spot and broadcast all over Germany, won instant success.
This second album, released in Shanghai by Hinote Records, is more personal and named after the street, "Pappelallee" or Poplar Alley" in Germany, where the band lives. The CD cover features a blue monkey face. Says Lechler, "There’s one song on the album called "King Kong Is Not Dead", and that title inspired our art designer to try out the monkey cover. Once you've seen it, you won't forget it."
"King Kong", along with "Fade Out" and "October", are as warm and consoling as a cup of coffee sipped in a comfortable armchair on a rainy day. Pop elements with acoustic guitars, melodeon, jazz ballads and a hint of reggae are thrown into an electronic universe. Vocals add another distinctive ingredient, and play an important part in the catchiness and accessibility of Naomi’s music. "Including vocals is natural for us," says Lechler. "We like to build instrumental tracks, but at the same time we are songwriters in our hearts, and that will always come through. Call us electronic songwriters."

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
July 2005 issue

This new Chinese release of Placebo's singles won't disappoint long-time fans or those new to the band’s brand of urban rock. Influenced by the Pixies and Iggy Pop, Placebo delivers a simple, but effective, blend of punk, pop, glam and alternative rock. With 17 tracks culled from four albums and listed in chronological order, this compilation provides an effective overview of their evolution after nearly a decade of recording.
From their debut album Placebo to the latest, more accessible (commercial?), Sleeping with Ghosts, Placebo’s music documents the band’s evolving state of mind: from teenage angst, sexual doubt and self-centeredness, to maturity.
In later tracks, listeners will notice that lead singer Brian Molko's voice has improved over the years, thanks to stage experience and a rocker's diet of booze and cigarettes. This record, however, is no cut and paste product, rather it's a reworking of their best tunes. For instance, on "Without You I am Nothing," Molko shares vocals with friend David Bowie, while the original "Protect Me" is swapped for a French version, "Protége Moi."
Two previously unreleased cuts, "I Do" and "Twenty Years" offer insight into the group’s future direction. Overall, this CD offers a great introduction to the band and provides enough fresh material for those who already have the first four releases. One question: where is the classic "Nancy Boy" that brought the boys to fame?

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
July 2005 issue

Once upon a time, singer-composer Lin Di met bass player Su Yong. Together they self-produced a demo album (Flying) under the name Cold Fairyland. Later on, the pair was joined by three other musicians they’d met and befriended in bars. For the last four years, the band has performed all around China and won fame, if not fortune, in the alternative scene.
In 2003, they released a demo album The Zoon of Stranger (available at www.miyadudu.com). Influenced by Portishead and Pink Floyd, their sound is similar to dream pop, but darker in tone and with the addition of folk elements, exemplified by the cello and pipa, for example. Their ethereal melodies blend feedback and sonic textures with indecipherable vocals akin to Faye Wong or the Cocteau Twins’ Elizabeth Frazer.
Lin Di also has a solo career, one that affords a living; she’s released three world-music albums on a Taiwanese label. The band performs both her solo work and their own music once a month at the ARK Live House in Xintiandi. Cold Fairyland offers all the proof you need that the Shanghai music scene is alive and kicking. With two new works scheduled for summer release, well, what can we say. Stay tuned…

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
July 2005 issue

When Brit Keith Gordon met American Jon Taylor, they established, with two laptops and a small keyboard, "Ryukyu Underground;" named after the Japanese Ryukyu Islands, where Okinawa is located. Obsessed with the sound of Okinawa, they blend subsonic bass, ambient sounds and beats with traditional Japanese vocals. This third release is a neatly packaged two-hour, two-CD florilegium of their best; remixed and rearranged by some of the best talent on the planet – Kid Loco, Junkie XL, Bill Laswell, Dub Farm, to name but a few – in studios around the world.

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
July 2005 issue

On first listening to Oriental is Beautiful 2, which blends down-tempo grooves and lounge music with Indian and Tibetan influences, it seems the perfect compilation to load up after a wild night out. From Indian/Enigma sounds of Bocanada’s "Fuego", to the catchy percussion and hypnotic Tibetan vocals of David Visan and Michael Winter’s "Tamtra Tibet", to sitar samples and recurrent break beats of Badarali Kan’s "Black Night", this CD just gets better with repeated listenings.
Zeb’s "Romantic" is probably the most emblematic, catchy and delightful track on offer. Featuring Asian string and woodwind instruments and percussion mixed with electronic vibes, this cut pays tribute to its ancient roots with a rich modern sound. The CD bonus track, "Oriental Soft Mixed", includes prime cuts mixed and faded by DJ La Matt.

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
July 2005 issue

Twenty-eight years after the first installment, Georges Lucas ends his six- episode saga. Things have changed quite a bit in three decades. Good and evil were clear cut in episodes IV to VI, not so given the blurry politics in episodes I to III.
The latter series went to great length, explaining Anakin Skywalker's journey to become a Jedi knight, and how faced with doubts, he eventually switched to the dark side of the force. Of course, this is what audiences have been waiting for – the final explanation.
Most heroes are plain and dull, but Skywalker’s companions, and his strong-minded nemesis, add substance and excitement to the story. In this respect, Revenge of the Sith, with its fully-fleshed characters is the best of the last three installments, even if some loose ends from previous episodes are somewhat clumsily tied.

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
July 2005 issue

Two recent releases have proven how tricky is the task of comic book adaptation; an ongoing Hollywood trend aimed at saving the film majors from bankruptcy. The theory is that the simpler the plot, and the bigger the budget, the larger the audience (profit). But consider the following: Constantine was made by music-video director Francis Lawrence for USD100 million; Sin City was co-directed by filmmaker Robert Rodriguez (From Dusk Till Dawn), comics' illustrator Frank Miller and guest director Quentin Tarantino, for USD 45 million. The former is short on character development and fails to involve the viewer; the latter is rich in situations and characterization, and draws the viewer in.
Constantine, supposedly based on Hellblazer, is another Keanu Reeves vehicle. Ironically, for a comic adaptation the film takes itself far too seriously, and audiences are unable to suspend their sense of disbelief. Oddly enough, belief is the central topic of this deja-vu, good-versus-evil fight, which emphasizes F/X over storyline. The result is a blockbuster of a bore, at least until the last reel when all hell breaks loose.
Sin City, on the other hand, gets it right. From first to last frame, the film is faithful to the original B&W comics, with its imaginative B-movie budget and sense of anything goes. Solid production values, excellent writing, directing and acting add up to a very enjoyable experience; that is, if you can stand the ultra-violence.
Smart black and white compositions (Sin City won the Technical Award for best visuals at the Cannes Film Festival), with the odd splash of color, reveal the movie’s grasp of the real world: Good guys aren’t all white, and bad guys are even worse than we thought. Outcasts, killers and virtuous prostitutes fight corrupt officials, cannibals and inhuman mobs. Comic adaptations don’t get any better than this.

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
July 2005 issue

This month’s guilty pleasures both encourage America’s paranoid tendencies. Both movies describe in a more or less serious fashion (Carpenter will be Carpenter), a society where free will is jeopardized by the government and/or secretive organizations driven by profit and power.
To escape this threat, according to the theory presented here, individuals must live on the margins of society and have no personal attachments (loved ones are either dead or absent), indeed, have no attachments of any sort. Only through utter detachment can one penetrate the conspiracy which in Pakula’s film, The Parallex View, involves the assassination of liberals. Viewers might wonder how on earth these conspirators manage to get away with the large-scale recruitment of killers and all these assassinations. You’ll have to watch to the end to find out.
Conspiracy comes from an altogether different source in They Live, which tells the story of an unemployed man who professes a strong belief in the American way, i.e., freedom. His particular brand of paranoia is the result of a pair of unusual sunglasses, which allows him to spot aliens. He uncovers the aliens’ plot to control society using subliminal messages posted on every street corner.
Both films reveal the cost we must pay for free thought, and the process reveals how painful and spectacular reality can be. Only the paranoid need apply.

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
July 2005 issue

The Butterfly Lovers is to Chinese what Romeo and Juliet is to Westerners, an ancient romantic story filled with tragedy. The story relates how Zhu Ying Tai disguises herself as a boy to pursue education at a college where women are forbidden. She befriends then later falls in love with her classmate Liang Shan Bo. But her father forces her to marry a powerful official in order to strengthen the family social position.
The Butterfly Lovers has been adapted countless times in diverse forms: operas, concertos, stage plays and movies (two versions are remarkable, Li Han Hsiang’s The Lover Eterne, 1963, and Tsui Hark’s The Lovers, 1994). Here this historical legend is animated in a rare attempt to modernize the myth and make it accessible to a new generation. With its imaginative design, international production standards and inspired direction, this version could have been a real treat.
Unfortunately, the film suffers from what seems to be two conflicting aims. With an over-abundance of characters, the viewer is confused; at the same time the complex emotions of the original has been reduced to a simple tale of good versus evil. Finally, the pop music soundtrack grates. Considering the merits of the source material, it’s a pity the filmmakers have brought this production down to the level of a Disney production.


(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
July 2005 issue

Hong Kong director Yim Ho delivers a tender story about youth seeking identity, while looking at others. With great subtlety, Yim explores a new generation of Chinese confronting old questions of love, marriage, and faithfulness, and modern concerns such as abortion and environmental damage. Yim Ho is one of the leading directors responsible for Hong Kong’s new wave movement in the early 1980s, which was begun by a group of directors with overseas television experience. This group is more concerned with the realist form and social issues, rather than any commercialism. And both these attributes are in evidence here, as is Yim’s obvious rapport with actors. Although not one of his best works, A West Lake Moment, set in Hangzhou’s gorgeous West Lake (two hours from Shanghai), offers a fresh take on the love genre which of late has fallen on trite times.

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
July 2005 issue

This flick is billed as "the first Chinese psycho movie". Which is not quite accurate. Like me, viewers will wonder if this is a psycho horror movie or simply a movie with a psychological subtext. The film begins with Chinese bourgeois Shen Xiao (Ge You) alerting his friend Yiran to the disappearance of the latter’s wife. What follows is a series of ghostly illusions and endless questions concerning the missing spouse. The plot is as simple as ABC on paper, but director Zhang Bingjian complicates the story to no discernable purpose. Redundant effects, flashbacks and illusions make for an uncomfortable and confusing viewing experience. For Zhang, cheap thrills take precedence over a clear mise-en-scene. As a result, by the end of the movie, the viewer could care less about what happened to Mrs. Yiran. Suffocation offers cheap thrills and is mildly entertaining, in part due to Ge You’s performance, but is far from being an unforgettable experience.

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
July 2005 issue

Deke Erh began his career in photography in the early 1980s as one of China’s first freelance cameramen; his specialty is China’s architectural legacy. Since then, his publishing company, the Old China Hand Press, has published more than 10 books, most of which focus of Western architecture, including The Heart of the French Concession.
Divided into four parts – villas, apartment buildings, lane houses and public buildings – this volume covers the period from the early 1920s to the Japanese occupation. The French, whose influence on the city’s architecture, urban development and lifestyle is second to none, dominate the book. Naturally, the former French concession takes pride of place; in its heyday it was the most modern, and agreeable place to live in Shanghai. Witness the numerous politicians, diplomats, scholars and artists who commissioned homes in the area.
That said, this book is more than a historical exercise; the author presents a valid pictorial argument for the preservation of Shanghai’s invaluable, and endangered, architectural heritage.

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
Book courtesy Old China Hand Press
July 2005 issue