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

Richard Meyer’s biography of Ruan Lingyu is the first text in English devoted to China’s most famous film-star of the silent era. By the time of her death in 1935 China’s ‘Greta Garbo’ had crammed a remarkable number of 29 films into just 24 years. Ruan specialized in portraying ill-fated characters, most notably The Goddess, in which she played a single mother who turns to prostitution to support her son. As Meyer points out, Ruan’s own life was far from savory. One married lover whittled away her money in gambling dens; another, a violent tea merchant, refused to marry her.
After her suicide in 1935, she became a symbol for women’s liberation and the denunciation of China’s feudal society. Meyer succeeds in painting a portrait of Ruan against the backdrop of the era in which she lived and worked. A good primer for anyone interested in this remarkable actress from a long lost era.
Hong-Kong University Press
Available at www.hkupress.org & www.amazon.com

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

Poet Ruth Padel’s remarkable travelogue blends prose with a personal diary, poems, lists and maps. It plays on so many angles that it’s sometimes hard to figure out whether it’s an awareness raising book or a tiger enthusiast’s private diary. Padel’s journey through 11 Asian countries begins in Kerala, India and takes in the forests of Siberia, the hermit Kingdom of Bhutan and the jungles of Sumatra. Central to her journey is her quest for tigers, an endangered species which has captured mankind’s imagination throughout the ages. Padel’s descriptions of her excursions in search of Panthera tigris are both captivating and educational. Not since Sandy Balfour’s Pretty Girl in Crimson Rose has an author so deftly weaved a personal memoir with a leitmotif (crosswords in Balfour’s case, tigers for Padel).
Time Warner Book Group UK

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

Classical music is often regarded by the young generation as outdated and dusty. Well, they should listen to multi-platinum British soprano Sarah Brightman. This classical collection assembles an accessible list of tracks culled from her albums Eden and La Luna. Brightman proves that, if smartly produced, time-defying tunes like “Ave Maria” or “Serenade” will appeal to all generations. Indeed, classical melodies are brilliantly and tastefully re-orchestrated with modern beats and arrangements that cater to today’s tastes. Classics proves that any form of music, if well packaged, can be mass marketed, though purists will probably be appalled.
EMI

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

Rap’s a very polymorphic music genre. It ranges from raw and minimalist, to well-polished more complex forms, from tunes sung by kids in suburb streets, to ferocious gangsta rap, to songs spit out by young yuppies from downtown. This release is another kind, the very first rap album in Shanghainese. Not only well produced - signed by Sony-BMG after all – it’s also enjoyable at first contact even for those not grasping the subtleties of the Shanghai dialect. Heavy bass, plenty of swear words, cool female vocals and catchy choruses – with odd English bits – Shanghai Rap features an array of talented and young local artists, Bamboo Crew, Blakk Bubble, Pimp Q et al. Heavily influenced by the North-American Mcs (Eminem, DR.Dre, 50cent and the likes), many Shanghai artists copy their styles or sometimes even sample their tunes, yet still manage to deliver sweet, pop-ish rap. It may not be gangsta-style, but its home-style at least.
Sony-BMG
Available at http://shanghaining.com/features/SHrap/


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

4 Da Loverz/Sharam Jey/Hinote Records
This release took DJ Sharam Jey five years to produce, and it was worth the wait. He was once a crusader on the dance-music Promised-Land Ibiza. Lavish in electronic beats, with a strong pop feel, the release is as fine for night booty shakes as for a daytime fix. Don’t miss this wealth of club anthems.

Human After All/Daft Punk/EMI
French duo Daft Punk recorded their third international album at their Paris home studio in just six weeks. Beats, loops, scratches and remixes sometimes, disappointingly, keep the melodies from emerging. Fortunately, three massive tracks “Rock Robot” “The Brainwasher” and “Television Rules the Nation” save the album.

Destination Lounge San Francisco/Various Artists/Hinote Records
The “Destination Lounge” collection proposes international soul/downtempo music with jazzy, chilled and soothingly delightful tracks and includes a stylishly packaged guide of San Francisco (or Bali). The package features info on the local night-scene including top-notch nightlife destinations, plus a profile of talented local artists.

Pyramid In Your Backyard/Praful/Hinote Records
Praful’s urban music explores Indian and Brazilian sounds with a hint of jazzy and funky sax thrown in new and groovy tracks. Dance and chill vibes spread from the mixing tables to the speakers, eventually seducing the ear drums. Pyramid in your Backyard produces haunting tunes in your head.


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

Guanzhou Chief editor: Christopher Cottrell
November 2005 issue

While expats might regard Kenny G (G for Gorelick) as an abomination, the Chinese, ladies in particular, consider his music first-grade foreign stuff. Male listeners probably won’t understand this infatuation, but they likely know nothing of the G-spot, either. Indeed, G’s sax sound is mellow, jazzy, sensual and instinctively attractive, turning on any female listener. He did study with the master – at age 17 he performed in Barry White’s orchestra. For this 15th album, the Grammy-Award winner saxophonist has invited the world’s most prestigious singers (Barbara Streisand, Earth Wind & Fire…) to sing, while he blows the pipe on good-old tunes that have ben lingering for years in the Western collective psyche. Kenny G will probably make many other albums after The Duets. He may blow forever; Kenny holds the Guinness World Book record for playing the longest note ever, an E, for over 45 minutes…
Sony-BMG

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

Nowadays, to launch a superstar in China is a hazardous business and no one wants to take the risk. The Super Girls TV-show producers found a riposte. They sold many teenagers a show with complete strangers and wannabe-stars, and aired a several-week long competition sparking a nationwide mania. No pirate copies or mp3 could ever top that, and the benefits made with commercials, sponsorships and SMSs were phenomenal. Super idea, everybody wins - producers, sponsors, fans and Super Girls.
Here’s the offspring; an album made by the ten finalists, including a VCD with MTVs, that cost virtually nothing to produce and distribute as massive pre-order profits have already been made.
Fresh, young, as talented as any Chinese pop idols - for what it means – the Super Girls deliver eleven super sweet, neatly studio-produced pop songs.
A Super Boys show is on its way.
Meika Music

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

http://www.chinese-furniture.com

A marvelous, eccentric site for aficionados of classical Chinese furniture. Webmaster Curtis Evarts was a former curator at the Museum of Classical Chinese Furniture in Renaissance, California. Consequently, he knows his ta from his chuang. The fact that Evarts uses this site to plug his own consulting services is forgivable since he has compiled an invaluable resource for collectors and dilettantes alike. Not only does the site provide a useful point of contact for collectors and dealers but it also hosts an event calendar, furniture bookstore, historical data, information on museum collections and a newsletter. One of the site’s most appealing pages is devoted to the “Piece of the Month” which is an educational appetite-whetter for those expats willing to break the money-pig. The site is beautifully illustrated with images of prints from hand scrolls and ancient paintings putting the various pieces into both a social and historical context. Who knew that the folding stool (deck chair) was once used for mounting horses?

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

http://www.blogherald.com

Blogs (or web logs to the uninitiated) have been with us since the late ‘90s so it’s no wonder that a site such as The Blog Herald has popped up to act as a news and information source for all things blogging. The site goes about its business with a great degree of solemnity providing statistics, studies and columns on its “blogosphere” as well as other interesting tidbits. Take this one for instance: “60 percent of Chinese bloggers are female because girls are more emotional while boys are busy playing online games.” Yes, you heard it here first (that is unless you’ve already visited this site). The Blog Herald itself is a blog, having been selected by technology consumer CNet.com in its list of the Top 100 blogs. Like most other blogs, it will no doubt draw an audience of like minds and preach to the converted.

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

Anthony Zimmer is a rich, smart gangster hunted by the formidable and feared combined forces of the French police, ex-KGB members and the Russian mafia. But he’s a slippery chap whose only weakness seems to be his sexy thirty-something girlfriend Chiara (Sophie Marceau). Like the Kaiser Soze character in Bryan Springer’s The Usual Suspects we never get to meet Zimmer, though we learn about him through Chiara. Marceau (Braveheart, The World is Not Enough) is spot on with her performance, at times reminiscent of Linda Fiorentino’s femme fatale in The Last Seduction, though she’s let down by the plot which is too straightforward. What’s more, director Jérôme Salle seems to like to show as many gratuitously naked bodies as possible (or at least scantily clad ones). Still, the cheap thrills, plus Marceau, will leave the film’s male audience captivated throughout, if only for two hours.
TF1/Studio Canal

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

As if the world hasn’t enough real-life terrorism, here we go, once again, with a new terrorist-loaded season of 24. Kiefer Sutherland is back as Jack Bauer and, this time around, he must deal with not one, but several threats to national security. All to be done and dusted within 24 hours of course. Ho hum. The series has become all too predictable – it’s easy to tell when someone is about to be tortured or killed, all for the sake of the nation, if you please. That said, the show does have its moments: clock-ticking, gripping scenes, and paralyzing tension are conveyed with great effect through clever editing and hand-held cameras.
But the main draw here is bad guy Arnold Vosloo (The Mummy), a villain whose cunning puts him one step ahead of Bauer. Strange that such a charismatic terrorist should feature so prominently on the hawkish Fox network. Maybe they’re trying to tell us something.
20th Century Fox Television

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

While Ice Age was irreverent, witty and tasteful, this follow up by the same team of animators lacks the same qualities. Where did they go wrong? The film was cooked from the same recipe – simple story, technical wizardry and a gag a minute – but unlike its predecessor, Robots isn’t nearly innovative enough for an adult audience. Children, however, will find enough bits and bolts to chew on as evidenced by the film’s box office success – a respectable USD 36.5 million in its opening weekend (though still short of Ice Age’s record breaking USD 46.3 million). The plot is simple enough – robot Rodney Copperbottom leaves Rivettown to make it big in Robot City, but will the evil Ratchet put a spanner in his works (or a ratchet perhaps)? Expensive production and all-star cast providing the voices (Ewan McGregor, Robin Williams, Halle Berry et al.) add up to cheap divertissement.
Blue Sky/Fox Animation Studios

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

Guanzhou Chief editor: Christopher Cottrell
November 2005 issue

A woman loses control after realizing she cannot recognize her own husband. Meanwhile, another mutilated body is found by the police who suspect a serial-killer is on the loose. Such is the plot of French director Chris Nahon’s captivating thriller L’empire des Loups (The Empire of Wolves) set against the exotic backdrop of Paris’ Turkish ghetto. Adapted from journalist-turned-author Jean-Christophe Grangé’s fourth novel, the film is brilliantly photographed and deserves praise for its plot twists, action and tension – much of it reminiscent of Hitchcock. Leading man Jean Reno (Leon, Mission Impossible) offers a restrained performance as always, but is let down by co-stars (Bas, Jover and Quivrin) who grate on the nerves and considerably lessen the impact of an otherwise enjoyable romp.
Gaumont/Columbia TriStar Films

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

Guanzhou Chief editor: Christopher Cottrell
November 2005 issue

The Myth, starring the prolific Jackie Chan, marks a return to form for the action hero whose career has been in decline for nearly a decade. The stunts, plot, jokes and acting are better than usual, and the film has some moments of real poetry. Chan suffers from spreading himself too widely (actor, stuntman, director and producer) which often results in half-baked flicks. However, here the film is more than the sum of its parts. The plot features parallel storylines: one contemporary, the other set during the Qin dynasty. The cast is equally diverse, intentionally so, as Indian actress Mallika Sherawat will increase the potential box office take by adding a third of the world’s population. In any case, Chan’s ambitions are clear: “I want to be an Asian Robert De Niro,” he recently boasted. One can always dream, but at least the man is back on the ladder instead of falling off it.
Media Asia

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

Guanzhou Chief editor: Christopher Cottrell
November 2005 issue

This second adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic children’s novel meanders for the first 30 minutes until Johnny Depp takes center stage. His turn as the eccentric owner of the titular chocolate factory is a bravura performance. But then Depp specializes in playing oddballs. Who can forget his first outing with director Tim Burton as the digitally-challenged Edward Scissorhands? Charlie is Depp and Burton’s sixth joint venture and the film has already taken in USD 300 million worldwide.
This is a movie best appreciated on the big screen, so try the IMAX theater which has a format ten times larger than a conventional screen, and a massive sound system to boot (14,000 watts, to be exact).
Later, you might want to compare this with the 1971 version, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, starring Gene Wilder in the title role. The latest version is true to Dahl’s novel, though it is somewhat lighter in tone than the book. However, any thought that Depp or Burton have lightened up permanently must be dispelled by the title of their recently released: Corpse Bride.
Warner Bros
IMAX at Peace Cinema/268 Xizang Middle Rd/63225252

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

Guanzhou Chief editor: Christopher Cottrell
November 2005 issue