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Archives for February 10, 2010

The BRIT Awards 2010 3CD Compilation Review

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In celebration of 30 years of the BRIT Awards a 3CD compilation has this year been released, with the first two discs focusing on popular music from the last year whilst the third disc concentrates on some of the biggest BRIT hits from the past 30.

The first disc is quite pure pop focused, with artists such a Cheryl Cole, Robbie Williams, and Mika featuring here, the second disc meanwhile has more of a dance and rock edge about it with Dizzee Rascal, Calvin Harris, Biffy Clyro, U2, and Kasabian all included. Dependent upon your specific tastes in music you’ll probably have a favourite of these two discs; both CDs have their moments though, with both coming complete with some definite stand outs.

There’s a great deal of variety displayed on the BRIT Awards 2010 compilation, what has to be noted however is that some of these artists are not in line to win a BRIT Award this year and yet have been included on the CD, several others meanwhile are up for awards and have failed to make the cut. Whitney Houston and Jason Mraz are two prime examples of artists included on the album that have not been nominated for any Brit Awards; artists such as Eminem, Leona Lewis, and Bat for Lashes meanwhile are not included on the compilation even though they did receive BRIT Award nominations. The song selections don’t always make sense, despite this though it is still a decent compilation which does feature some of the most popular music to have been released in the last year (BRIT Award nominees or not).

Having been treated to some of the most popular tracks of 2009/early 2010 on the first two discs, this BRIT Awards compilation definitely provides a treat with the third disc as such tracks as Take That’s ‘Patience’, Oasis’ ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’, and Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’ are showcased. The CD actually kicks off with three lives tracks; Queen and 5ive’s ‘We Will Rock You’ from 2000, Seal and Adamski’s ‘Killer’ from 1991, and the Bee Gees ‘Medley’ from 1997. It’s straight after these three live classics that we’re boomed into Take That’s ‘Patience’, and from there we move on to Duffy’s ‘Warwick Avenue’ and Amy Winehouse’s ‘Rehab’; definitely a cracking way to kick off the CD, and we certainly finish on a high with the third and final disc of the compilation.

All in all there are 60 tracks on the BRIT Awards 2010 compilation (20 on each of the three discs), and regardless of your taste in music you’re sure to find something here that impresses. It’s unlikely that you’ll enjoy all 60, with so much to choose from there’s definitely much to keep you entertained though, and even if you don’t like a few tracks here then that still leaves you with plenty of others to listen to. The inclusion of a third disc this year makes the BRIT Awards annual compilation better value than ever in 2010, and if you’re looking to get your hands on a quality compilation then the BRIT Awards 2010 compilation is most definitely one that’s worth looking into.

Label: Rhino UK
Release Date: February 8th 2010

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Cine-Asia to bring Kill Zone and Fist Of Legend to DVD and Blu Ray in the UK

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Cine-Asia is soon to bring Dragon Dynasty titles Kill Zone and Fist Of Legend to DVD and Blu Ray in the UK.

Cited by the Toronto Film Festival as having “The most intense action sequences in recent history”, Kill Zone was the winner of the Best Action Choreography Award at the 2006 Hong Kong Film Awards and is considered to be one of the best Asian martial arts films of the last decade. Fist Of Legend meanwhile is often seen as Jet Li’s greatest pure martial arts film and was labelled as ‘Awe inspiring’ by the prestigious American newspaper The New York Times.

Both of these films are set for release as two-disc DVDs packed with a variety of special features, with Kill Zone set for release on March 8th, followed by Fist Of Legend on March 22nd.

Cine-Asia has done an excellent job so far, with the label having released titles such as Ichi the Killer, Ip Man, and The Beast Stalker, and now looks to continue with its fine tradition of releasing quality films with the addition of Kill Zone and Fist Of Legend to the Cine-Asia collection.

The following is a full list of the special features for both Kill Zone and Fist Of Legend:

Kill Zone Special Features include: audio commentary by Hong Kong Cinema expert Bey Logan; promotional gallery; ‘Kill Zone: The Making Of’ documentary; Behind The Scenes – Anatomy of a Scene; ‘Alleycats’ (with optional Bey Logan commentary); ‘Challenge of the Masters’ (with optional Bey Logan commentary; Interview Gallery (Sammo Hung, Donnie Yen, Simon Yam, Wilson Yip, Jacky Wu); Dolby Digital Cantonese and English 5.1 audio options (DVD); DTS HD MA Cantonese 5.1 and DTS HD MA English 5.1 audio options (Blu-ray); optional English subtitles.

Fist Of Legend Special Features include: audio commentary by Hong Kong Cinema expert Bey Logan; ‘The Man Behind The Legend’ – an exclusive interview with director Gordon Chan; ‘Brothers In Arms’ – an exclusive interview with kung fu impresario Chin Siu-ho; ‘The Way Of The Warrior’ – an exclusive interview with Japanese action legend Kurata Yasuaki; ‘The School Of Hard Knocks’ – a screen fighting seminar at the celebrated Kurata Action School; a look at ‘Fist Of Legend’ with director Brett Ratner and critic Elvis Mitchell; deleted scenes gallery; trailer gallery; DTS HD MA English 5.1 audio (Blu-ray); Dolby Digital Cantonese 2.0 Stereo, Mandarin 2.0 Stereo and English 5.1 audio options (DVD); optional English subtitles.