Three is a Hong Kong-produced action film from director Johnnie To, starring Zhao Wei, Louis Koo, and Wallace Chung. It is another of To’s gangster movies that is a stylized satire of just and evil. Three shows the central theme- the complexity of human nature- contradictions inside and outside of the three characters, a cop (Louis Koo), a doctor (Zhao Wei) and a criminal (Wallace Chung). The cop who is supposed to arrest the criminal makes a false charge against him in order to protect the other police including himself.

The doctor is an ostensibly devoted doctor keeps failing to do operations as well as assisting the criminal to prove her ability as a doctor.

Lastly, the criminal, who is smart and seems innocent, while he is the most wicked character throughout the movie.

The film is mainly about cops who send a criminal that was shot to the hospital for treatment but he refuses to take them to capture his other companions. It causes the struggles between the doctor who wants to do the operation and the thug who refuses to take it. The cop intends to trap the criminal. It is a fast paced, criminal and suspenseful film that most people might feel hard to keep up with; the film creates a dark and depressed atmosphere.

Individuals who are into suspenseful and drastic films might find this movie a good fit. Wallace Chung’s acting is impressive by creating an erudite, cunning character. He is sometimes mad, calm and fierce. It is hard to act a versatile criminal who knows philosophy, psychology, and criminology so well that he could pick up the lines and attack the doctor or police. (It is similar to the Joker played by Heath Ledger in Batman: The Dark Knight, who is capable of knowledge and criminal techniques.) He seems weak because his right hand is crushed, inversely, he changes into a killer who says, “kill the cop XXX, who gave me a shot” to his gang friend. Three also has its shortages.

Some of the scenes are in contrast to the reality compared with the realness of the other scenes. Such as a scene when the criminals’ gang is shooting people in the hospital that creates chaos, the doctor has time to save a patient who is trying to commit suicide. Other than that, there are some omissions in the plot, which you would feel  that they are unrealistic, or there are better ways to solve the conflict.

Three features Johnnie To’s similar filming styles that are lighting, color choices, character choice as his other gangster movies. He uses light and shadow to create tension.

Such as a high angle shot and light that is right above a cop’s head to show a strict and nervous atmosphere when cops are ready to find out the thug’s companions. He does not adopt many warm colors except red, and he uses cold color tones: blue, gray, black and white.

The opening operation scene uses an intense red color to emphasize the vividness, which audiences might find too bloody. The setting, character’s clothes are mainly in cold tones. Moreover, the director uses a closed space that is the patient room, which is centered on the nurse table.

The criminal mostly stays on his bed; the conflicts go on and break out in this small space. His characters are both civilian and anti-heroes. The cop speaks out at the beginning of the film, “If the thug were not killed, police would be killed.” Johnnie To also tries something different, which is a slow motion and a long shot of a gunfire scene to highlight the conflict and emotion of every character.

Overall, Three is a good gangster and suspense movie. Don’t expect to find something calm and warm here except fast-paced and strained plots. Johnnie To gives a decent gangster movie that investigates the deeper question of good and evil. If you are a fan of Hong Kong produced gangster movies, check out Johnnie To’s other movies.

Check out Three‘s trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U67UDtFMPAc

The post Travel Around the World: What Does a Chinese Suspense and Action Movie Look Like? appeared first on KRUI Radio.

“Memory” has a melody with a light tripping rhythm. “I don’t remember the sound of your voice… Wish I could remember something you said.” This felt like Gano complained about his long-gone memory that he had with the girl he used to love. Instead of asking the girl to come back, he joked about how his growth with age affected everything. The rhythm is addictive and repetitive. This opening song leads to the overall theme and style of their album, to show the middle age annoyance through the catchy rock, lyric-oriented style.

“I Could Be Anything” is like a fairy tale that they dream. The lyrics are about a brave man who killed the dragon and celebrated its death with pride. It is a country feeling song, and the percussion sound stands out. It is also interesting that Gano starts the song with his high-pitched sound to the slight low pitch chorus with the other band members.

“Issues” starts with a few light and compelling pitches. It sounds like he is questioning the girl: “why do you talk about your issues all the time?” The lyrics are sometimes rhyming: “issue” and “tissue”. Gano still brings out his twitchy singing style through this song. It reminds me of the Mika’s voice who uses lots of turns. “Ghost” starts with some weird preaching. The lyrics show that the behavior and things happened are a mysterious like a holy ghost. The verses are fast-paced, and it gradually slows down in verse two. In this song, the bass and drums sound stands out.

“What You Really Means” is the song written by Gano’s half-sister Cynthia Gayneau. It adds a different flavor to the album that is romantic and sweet. They add a few measures of piano and saxophone in it that made a nice transition to the ending of the song.

“Foothills” is another witty song that has the same tone as “Memory.” It is telling that the person has no choice to fall in love in this age. He sings, “I can’t tell you why I am in love” when he is continuing with his normal life.

“Traveling Solves Everything” also has a similar pattern, as “I Could Be Anything.” It repeats the verse “If you have a problem, your life unravels.” It is about traveling and escaping from the problems of life. It keeps speeding up till the end of the song.

“Big Car” is a fun song describes a guy who takes a girl out driving  on a rugged road which makes the girl uncomfortable. Before they get to the next town, he will bury the girl in the desert.

“Untrue Love” is a distorted love song: “my untrue love is true.” The lyrics are twisted since the guy hates to admit he loves the girl, and he struggles. Gano’s leisure sound following with the accompaniment of the other band members that feel the helplessness of these men.

“I Am Not Done” is the last song in this album. This a good corresponding title to the album title “We Can Do Anything.” The lyrics are about their attitudes toward the ups and downs of life and the broken-up relationship, etc. The rhythm is lively and fun. 

Overall, it is classic alternative rock that I am not used to listening to, but it refreshes your mind if you always listen to mainstream music like pop or R&B. I like the wordplay that Gano uses. It has the sense of self-mocking while being witty and funny. Also, you can tell they sing about their relationship with Christianity, although it isn’t obvious but there’s a huge influence from it. “Memory,” and “Traveling Solves Anything” do a good job with lyric-writing. “Memory” is by far my favorite song on this album. It has a good transition from the main verse and the second verse, and the chorus is amazing in the end.

Listen to the full album below:

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I arrived at the Trumpet Blossom Café two hours early to meet with Daisy Chains and get a sense of the atmosphere of this lovely and cozy place. I like their warm lighting, dedicated ornaments in the house.

Around 8:30 pm, Daisy Chains came to my table, and we started our conversation. “We did a ten-day tour in Midwest, and now it is about time to perform in my hometown” said Iowa City native, Drummer Walker Neudorff. The guitarist, main vocalist E.A. Bambery, and bassist Allison Gunderson are from Minneapolis.

Country-inspired, garage, post-punk music group Daisy Chains is the sweet, warm and down-to-earth band when it came to answering my questions. “I like the softness and feminine of the name ‘Daisy.’ Daisy is also a name from my favorite salsa jar” Beth described the band name excitedly. “We love being on the road, doing live show” the three of them agreed, and they enjoy the tension on the stage.

Before the headliner, Daisy Chain played, The Savage Young Taterbug was the first band that started out. When they were playing tunes on the stage, a crowd of people suddenly came closer to the stage, and stood in front of my table. I figured if you want to have a good view of the band, you could only stand between the tables and bar.

The Savage Young Taterbug has a guitar, cello, and electronic keyboard.

They had a soft, thick country-mixed rock feeling. The addition of the cello gradually built up the atmosphere that impressed me a lot. “We got a beautiful feeling, whisper, stash to my baby” got stuck in my head. The third song “The Paperstud” was my favorite song from them. But the keyboard did not play it smoothly in the beginning. The audience laughed a little and waited for them to keep it back on. The sound of the keyboard is liked raindrops falling to compose a beautiful, sad folk rhythm. The Audience seemed enjoyed their performances.

After a short wait, Gem Jones came on the stage with their basses. The main vocalist wore a polka dot shirt with his flamboyant blonde hair: I think they had a good fashion taste.

Their song has the Lo-fi garage rock or punk rock feeling of which I am not a fan. It is fuzzy and loud, and the lyrics were not what they wanted us to listen to, but the beat was awesome. After hearing one song, I felt I lost my hearing a little. I tried to stand in the second row to follow the crowd; I saw people in the first row were moving their heads following their music.

Finally, around 11 pm, the central part of tonight, Daisy Chains, began to set up. Some of the people in the front were gone, and other audiences went to have a seat near the bar. They started with two songs, not on their album. At first, the drum part overpowered Beth’s vocals; later her voice became powerful, but softer at the same time. When the second song “Don’t tell me” played, people started to lean toward the stage. I loved Beth’s voice so much; it is versatile, and she conveyed the bitterness of the lyrics. The ending part featured a radical drum solo that stood out.

The third and fourth song were from their album “Above Abroad.” “Slack Jawed” featured some jumpy bass chords. Between the chords, Beth sang, “let go” and yelled it out. There was a feeling of leaving the ungrateful people. In the middle of the song, Beth paused and softly  thanked the chillness that Walker (drummer) brought, which differed from how she sang on the stage.

I liked their song “Bye Babe” the most. The Bass lead the song. Beth’s voice was emotional when singing “my babe.” It rose and fell and made you want to hear more songs like this. The last song was “Your Heart Out” by the Fall. They added a guitar that added a more smooth feeling.

They ended the show with more and more people coming to the front. When they wrapped up, some people came and asked if they could buy an album from them. I felt the time passed relatively fast and I wanted to hear more from their lyrical songs and sink in the atmosphere again. Their music speaks for them. I wish they would release an LP and maybe record a video so that people who cannot see their live performance can hear it.

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