But Kong who had no experience with animated film turned the proposal down. The idea for the film began in 2005 when Hui-who was living in Hollywood at that time-approached producer Bill Kong on the possibility of making an animated movie in China. In an interview with the South China Morning Post he said that while overseeing sequences for the Gingerbread Man character in Shrek, he daydreamed about animating a character from a Hong Kong bakery, a Pineapple Bun Man. Hui had long wanted to produce a movie in China. Raman Hui directed film which is his first live action directorial debut The message in the film is to understand and accept differences, to see the world through others' perspective and to foster more understanding between people and groups. The main theme in Monster Hunt, according to Hui is acceptance (similar to the Shrek series which Hui was involved in). The story begins with Song Tianyin, an unnerved young village mayor who becomes pregnant with the Monster Queen's baby, and he encounters an aspiring Monster-hunter named Huo Xiaolan, and they both embark on an adventure to protect the baby from villains of the Human and Monster worlds alike. ![]() Recently, a civil war took place in the Monster Realm which resulted in the usurpation of the Monster King's throne from a treacherous minister, who later sought the Monster Queen and her unborn baby, and the Monster Queen fled to the Human Realm. They once shared the world in peace and harmony until the Humans drove the Monsters out from their home, for they sought total dominion over their lands. The film takes place in ancient China, where the Humans existed alongside the Monsters. ![]() 6.1.1 Controversy over box office performance.He also stated that "although it doesn't stray too far from the Depeche mould, Gahan does manage to put his own stamp on the songs".Ĭredits adapted from the liner notes of Paper Monsters. AllMusic reviewer Don Kline called Paper Monsters "a mix of swampy blues-injected rock, slick urban electronica, and atmospheric balladry" and gave it three out of five stars. Idov criticised Gahan's lyrics stating that his "vocal can still elevate the dumbest lyric to the level of a cathartic mantra, a skill that comes handy in the absence of Martin Gore". However, Pitchfork reviewer Michael Idov was less impressed with the album and wrote that its personal subject matter made for a "faintly embarrassing listen". Slant Magazine echoed Lawrence's review for BBC Music, calling the album a "competent solo debut" with "murky rock grooves and throaty vocals". She was impressed by Gahan's vocals on the track "Hidden Houses", which she called "deliciously devilish and angelic in equal measure" and said that it "demonstrates a vocal range rarely seen in the Mode back catalogue". In a review for BBC Music, Kate Lawrence called Paper Monsters "an assured debut" with "surprising depth". At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 79, based on nine reviews. Paper Monsters received generally positive reviews from music critics. Released as a double A-side single with Hold On Released as a double A-side single with Bottle Living The single continued the album's string of top-40 singles, reaching number 36 in the UK.Īll tracks are written by Dave Gahan and Knox Chandler. ![]() meaning that two songs were released on the same single. The third and final single was "Bottle Living" / "Hold On", a double A-side. The second single, "I Need You", was a ballad based around a synth and drum arrangement, which reached number 27 in the UK and number five on the US dance chart. Its remixes were also promoted in US dance clubs, and peaked within the top five of the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. "Dirty Sticky Floors", the lead single from the album, became Gahan's most successful solo release, reaching number 18 on the UK Singles Chart and the top 10 in Germany and Italy. It was not until he began writing music with friend and musician Knox Chandler that he gained the self-confidence he needed to begin to consider working on an album of his own material. Gahan first played with the idea of releasing a solo album after the release of Depeche Mode's Exciter in 2001, but approached the project slowly. In March 2004, Gahan released the live video album Live Monsters, containing footage from his concert on 5 July 2003 at the Olympia in Paris. In North America, the album was released on 3 June 2003. Paper Monsters debuted at number 36 on the UK Albums Chart, while reaching the top 10 in Germany, Sweden and Switzerland. Upon its debut, critical reception was generally mixed while many complimented the album's personal subject matter, others described it as lacking depth. The album was produced by Ken Thomas, known for his work with Icelandic band Sigur Rós.
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