New iPods and 2 Movies

For those contemplating the purchase of a new mp3 player, be sure to check out the new line of iPods announced by Apple yesterday. However, those who want a HDD-based iPod should wait for the 6G (rumoured to have a large touchscreen, wireless capabilities and a virtual clickwheel) which is going to be released in the first quarter of 2007.

And not to forget Microsoft's Zune!

Caught 2 movies this week - The Host and Monster House. The first is a much-hyped (with record takings in both Korea and Singapore) and well-reviewed Korean thriller about a mutant monster which terrorises Seoul and a desperate family trying to rescue a girl kidnapped by the creature. The trailer and reviews looked very promising, but it turned out to be a mediocre flick with an (unnecessary) anti-American slant, possibly aimed at riding on rising anti-American sentiments in Korea. The CGI cannot be faulted, and the unconventional and realistic characters ought to be lauded, but it could have been a little more pacy and less heavy on slapstick humour (think Jack Neo's type of humour). I am more of a fan of dry wit and parody, though the Hollywood style of slapstick comedy somehow appeals to me.

Monster House, on the other hand, was surprisingly scary, and good for an animated feature. The characters, unlike those of Pixar's creation, are not likeable based on first impressions - a loud and clumsy fattie, a full-of-herself little miss clever, and a pubescent, pampered kid. However, they strike you as what you might have been like when you were younger - "Monster's pre-teens are sarcastic, think they're smarter than their parents and are going crazy over the opposite sex", to quote a review . Another critic nicely sums up the merits of this movie: "The film is comprehensively creepy, often funny, a little bit touching, and exciting", besides being a visual spectacle. It is also suspenseful, keeping the audience at the edge of their seats, wondering what would happen next.

Seems like a monster overdose, along with "The Devil Wears Prada". Evil sells, huh?