Jun 24 2012

Review of Disney / Pixar’s Brave

This past Friday evening, Ginger and I went to see Disney / Pixar’s new film Brave. It follows Merida, a young Scottish princess who is radically against the idea that her parents (especially her Mum) can control her life. In particular, she can’t fathom being forced into a marriage that she doesn’t want. Instead of spending her days learning the proper activities and manners of being a lady and princess, she would much rather go horseback riding, take in all the wonders of the land, and most of all, practice her outstanding archery skills. After a bit of a quarrel with her Mum (Queen Elinor) about the arranged marriage, she flies off into the woods and comes upon a witch “Wood carver.” There, she gets a spell that will change the course of her life forever unless she can figure out the witch’s riddle for reversing it.

Disney Pixar Brave - Princess Merida and her bow
© Copyright 2011 / 2012 Disney / Pixar – All rights reserved

This film was significantly more serious than many of the other Disney / Pixar ones that I’ve seen as of late. It focused on a mother-daughter relationship, (which can easily be extrapolated into any familial [and especially parental] relationship), and the importance of unconditional love as THE necessary element to bring people together. The moral undertones of love, understanding, compromise, and empathy are ones that people should be reminded of frequently. In Brave, they were presented on many different levels, so that the messages should be clear to children and adults alike.

Though it had some very serious and sometimes dark scenes and themes, it was certainly not devoid of humour and outlandishly funny stunts. For me, the funniest characters were the suitor Princes as they tried to win the hand of Princess Merida, and the hysterically mischievous triplets, Harris, Hubert, and Hammish.

Disney Pixar - Brave - Princess Merida and her triplet brothers Harris, Hubert, and Hamish
Click to enlarge
© Copyright 2011 / 2012 Disney / Pixar – All rights reserved

The brothers continuously added comic relief to some otherwise intense scenes. I don’t want to give away any of the key plot elements, especially as the film is so new, but suffice to say, they frequently chanced trouble with their antics. Whether it was attempting to steal some dessert cakes, or playing tricks on the castle staff.

Even with the stronger thematic elements in Brave, I think that it is perfectly suitable for most children (although there are some parts that might be a little scary for younger kids). With important messages, stunning animation, and an outstanding storyline, Brave is another wonderful film from Disney and Pixar. I give it an 8 / 10:

Filled starFilled starFilled starFilled starFilled starFilled starFilled starFilled starUnfilled starUnfilled star

Cheers,
Zach

Jun 23 2012

Wine tasting review – 23 June 2012

Again this week I was a bit on the busy side, and as such, only attended the second of the two Saturday wine tastings (the one at HV Bottle Shop). The primary focus of this week’s tasting was a particular winemaker named M. Chapoutier, although there was one rosé from a different vineyard. Chapoutier (pronounced “Sha-pooh-tee-ay”) favours a really clean style in which the grapes and other fruits speak for themselves. As such, there is not an emphasis on oak barrels, but rather the wines are aged in stainless steel or concrete.

Sorry for the poor quality photo this week; I guess I was unable to hold the phone steadily for some reason or another.

HV Bottle Shop tasting on 23 June 2012
Wines are discussed in order from right to left

The first white was the 2010 ‘Belleruche’ Blanc, which was comprised of mostly Granache Blanc grapes (found primarily in wines from the Rhône Valley). It had a very pale yellow colour, and left only a ring when swirled (no visible legs). It had a citrus aroma, primarily of lime, and backed with somewhat floral tones. The lime came through in the flavour as well, and along with it, very high acidity which made it crisp and clean. Though it had a light body, the acidity was far too high in my opinion.

The second white was not an entry-level offering like the former. It was 100% Marsanne. It had a slightly deeper yellow colour, but still quite faint, and displayed medium thickness legs with a somewhat low viscosity. As it was fermented in concrete, it also featured a crisp acidity. However, this wine had an aroma of honeysuckle, which went with the flavour of honey which was fairly prominent. It did have a thinner body, but a little more substantial than the first offering. However, this was a natural weight instead of the weight that is commonly found in wines aged in oak barrels. My favourite aspect of this wine was the honey flavour and smell, which were both very pleasing (especially this time of the year)–my favourite of the day.

Splitting the whites and the reds today was a 2011 rosé from L. Miquel. It was 80% Cinsault (also, “Cinsaut”), and 20% Syrah. Coming from the southeast of France, it had a medium peach colour, ticker legs, but a surprisingly low viscosity given the tear width. The aromas were of strawberries and raspberries, but the strawberry was the most prominent in the flavour profile. It featured the same crisp acidity that the former two wines had, but finished slightly sweet.

The first red was the more cost-effective 2010 ‘Belleruche’ Rouge, which was 80% Granache and 20% Syrah. It had thin legs, and a low viscosity, but the more interesting part was that there was essentially no contrast between the centre and edge colours (which were both light scarlet). To be honest, the scent was musty, and almost grungy; somewhat like dirty laundry. Unfortunately, the feel was not desirable to me either–quite sharp and acidic. The taste was fairly bland, and lacked depth. Even for the modest price point, I found this wine to be highly disappointing.

The second red (and last wine of the tasting) was a 2009 ‘Petite Ruche’ Rouge, which was 100% Syrah. Syrah is not as juicy as Granache, so it would be more likely that I would enjoy this one over the former. It had a slightly higher viscosity, (and was a deeper scarlet colour), but there was still not much contrast between the centre and edge. There were smells of clove and pepper, which both came through in the taste (although black cherries were also prominent). It was dryer than the previous wine, but still in the thin-to-medium range on weight.

French reds are not my first choices, which is probably due to the higher fruitiness when compared to many Italian or even Spanish wines. To me, French reds tend to be some of the closest in style to Californian reds. For that reason, it was a white that was my favourite today. I really enjoyed the honey aromas and flavours that were present in the Petite Ruche Blanc from M. Chapoutier.

Cheers,
Zach

Jun 22 2012

Blue Stahli – Self-titled review

Years ago, I purchased the self-titled release from Celldweller (Klayton), and was blown away at the new and innovative sound. That started my journey into the genre of dub-metal / techno-metal or whatever other name you would like to attribute to the style. Not all that long ago, I found out about Blue Stahli, behind which is Brett Autrey. He has performed on many different tracks with Klayton, and also tours with Celldweller. I have had some time to listen to the self-titled release, and here are my thoughts:

Blue Stahli - self-titled album cover

1. Ultranumb – 10 / 10
From the very beginning of the album (and this track), it is clear that Bret Autrey follows in the vein of Klayton (Celldweller), but puts his own twist on the sound. Intense beats, fantastic hard guitar crunches, and catchy vocals to boot make this an exceptionally awesome electronic rock song! Get ready for the rest of the album in “3… 2… 1…”

2. Scrape – 7 / 10
Unlike the previous track, Scrape starts more subtly and slowly, but does readily break into a face-paced chorus with Bret screaming about “parasite messiahs.” Thereafter, the song doesn’t really let up until the breakdown during the bridge.

3. Anti-You – 10 / 10
I really love the intro to this track, as it changes so much during the first 20 seconds that it is tough to anticipate where it will go next. The effects on the vocals during the verses are great, and really add to the electronic feel. In my opinion, the tempo and combination of hard rock / electronica are nearly perfect for the genre. Coupled with the astringently pugnacious lyrics, it would surely impress during a live performance.

4. Doubt – 6 / 10
Great beat to start, and wild, funky high-pitched synth throughout the pre-verse introduction make this song fun from the get-go. From there, though, the synth doesn’t make another appearance until later in the track. The bridge also feels completely different, and somewhat dissonant compared to the rest of the track. Doubt doesn’t seem to be as well thought-out as some of the other tracks on the album. That being said, it is still a fun track.

5. Corner – 7 / 10
By comparison to the other songs on this album, Corner is relatively tame and slower. I stress the “By comparison” part, as it is still filled with blood-pumping energy. The bridge features an almost Middle-Eastern flair to it, which is really neat, especially seeing as it’s followed by a haunting vocal part.

6. Takedown – 9 / 10
This is an example of raw dub-metal with break-beats, and heavy guitar throughout. The female vocals scattered throughout, and the piercing lyrics make it a track that would be incredible during a live performance. It’s also one of my favourite tracks to listen to when I’m starting to get worn down during a long run.

7. Kill Me Every Time – 8 / 10
More subdued than the previous song by a long shot, this one is more along the lines of trance. In a way, it makes me think a bit of some of the older stuff by Static-X, but more organised. Whereas Takedown is great for hardcore exercising, this track is more the type that I listen to when writing code, or doing something that requires significant focus; in that sense, it’s great background music.

8. Throw Away – 9 / 10
Opening with a mellow guitar riff, and continuing that musical theme throughout the intro in a harder fashion, Throw Away takes the subdued nature of Kill Me Every Time but removes the trance elements from it. In my opinion, it is one of the more radio-friendly tracks on the album. It actually reminds me a bit of the artist BT, especially the track Satellite off his Movement in Still Life CD.

9. Metamorphosis – 8 / 10
This song is a bit more energetic than the last couple, but maintains a slower tempo than the beginning of the album. The bridge is excellent on this track, and feels very film-themed in that it sounds a bit epic. I could easily see an instrumental of it being featured in some action flick.

10. Give Me Everything You’ve Got – 6 / 10
Unlike the previous three tracks, Bret seems to want to end the album with the same intensity with which it began. This track actually even has the same feel to it as Ultranumb, and is aggressive for its duration. My only qualms with it are that the guitar almost feels choppy by comparison to some of the other riffs, and that it is short and ends abruptly.

Overall, I really enjoy this album and the adrenaline-inducing beats throughout it, even though it sometimes feels repetitious. It is a great CD, and one that I would recommend to anyone that likes the combination of electronica and hard rock or metal. I give it 80 / 100, or eight stars.

Filled starFilled starFilled starFilled starFilled starFilled starFilled starFilled starUnfilled starUnfilled star