Thursday, July 31, 2008
油價140求生哲學
| 油 價 突 破 一 百 四 十 美 元 , 世 界 經 濟 行 為 馬 上 見 效 。 歐 美 國 家 的 飛 機 奉 航 空 公 司 董 事 局 指 令 , 紛 紛 減 速 , 節 省 燃 油 成 本 。 歐 洲 各 地 的 私 家 車 主 , 不 必 政 府 勸 諭 , 都 把 時 速 降 至 六 、 七 十 公 里 。 往 來 貝 爾 法 斯 特 到 利 物 浦 的 渡 輪 , 也 偷 偷 改 了 時 間 表 , 因 為 輪 船 減 速 , 每 程 多 用 了 十 五 分 鐘 。 |
燃 油 價 格 上 漲 , 一 切 慢 下 來 。 慢 了 , 又 有 什 麼 不 好 ? 慢 也 是 一 種 選 擇 。 近 二 十 年 , 高 科 技 發 達 , 電 子 郵 件 盛 行 , 一 切 「 慢 」 的 人 類 社 會 活 動 , 都 在 逐 漸 淘 汰 。 不 再 寄 情 信 , 不 再 看 華 格 納 歌 劇 全 套 的 《 尼 布 隆 的 指 環 》 , 也 不 再 讀 足 本 的 《 紅 樓 夢 》 , 只 因 為 提 筆 寫 字 , 起 承 轉 合 要 動 腦 筋 , 欣 賞 歌 劇 和 小 說 經 典 的 人 物 和 情 節 , 感 嘆 一 個 英 雄 的 衰 落 , 一 個 朝 代 的 榮 枯 , 都 需 要 心 靈 時 間 的 漫 遊 。
從 做 生 意 的 工 作 角 度 , 快 當 然 是 優 勢 。 時 間 就 是 金 錢 , 一 張 訂 單 、 一 個 貨 櫃 , 誰 不 想 一 夜 之 間 就 由 香 港 運 送 到 鹿 特 丹 ? 但 世 界 有 好 多 優 美 的 事 物 , 是 快 不 來 的 。 廣 東 的 蓮 藕 鳳 爪 淮 山 杞 子 老 火 湯 , 就 要 煲 足 一 個 下 午 。 想 快 ? 可 以 , 犧 牲 口 味 的 追 求 , 買 一 罐 金 寶 罐 頭 湯 , 打 開 蓋 , 往 鍋 裡 一 熱 就 得 了 吧 。
理 性 的 產 品 , 一 切 應 追 求 快 : 開 會 不 要 三 個 鐘 頭 , 擊 point 到 位 , 長 話 短 說 , 英 明 的 老 闆 一 定 討 厭 長 篇 累 牘 、 廢 話 連 卷 的 文 件 。 董 事 局 下 達 一 個 決 定 , 馬 上 執 行 , 也 不 要 拖 。 老 闆 請 伙 記 , 最 不 耐 煩 就 是 對 方 說 上 班 需 要 「 三 個 月 通 知 」 。 等 三 個 月 ? 三 個 月 後 是 什 麼 世 界 ? 拉 登 再 次 恐 襲 , 禽 流 感 二 度 爆 發 , 三 個 月 後 曾 蔭 權 說 不 定 隨 時 垮 台 , 閣 下 三 個 月 才 上 班 , 我 的 公 司 , 說 不 定 那 時 已 經 遷 冊 了 。
然 而 , 有 許 多 事 一 定 快 不 得 。 讀 《 射 鵰 》 三 部 曲 , 就 不 可 以 看 濃 縮 本 。 寇 比 力 克 的 《 二 ○ ○ 一 年 太 空 漫 游 》 , 片 長 近 三 小 時 , 前 面 的 二 十 分 鐘 , 是 著 名 的 人 猿 大 戰 場 面 : 兩 批 黑 馬 騮 , 各 據 一 條 河 的 兩 岸 , 互 相 對 視 , 日 出 日 落 , 荒 野 無 人 , 長 長 的 鏡 頭 , 靜 止 的 畫 面 , 導 演 也 會 拖 菲 林 , 但 誰 也 不 能 否 認 , 把 這 二 十 分 鐘 , 剪 成 今 日 電 腦 遊 戲 機 版 的 四 十 秒 , 就 不 成 為 經 典 。
八 十 年 代 出 生 的 一 代 , 活 在 一 個 全 新 速 度 定 義 的 新 世 界 。 對 於 這 一 代 , 「 郵 寄 」 已 經 沒 有 意 義 , 甚 至 「 速 遞 」 DHL , 也 已 成 為 古 董 。 用 滑 鼠 , 指 尖 一 點 , 電 郵 也 已 經 日 漸 淘 汰 。 速 度 的 最 新 定 義 , 是 用 手 機 按 兩 個 號 碼 的 SMS 。 三 年 前 , 遞 送 一 個 訊 息 , 會 說 「 我 E 俾 你 」 , 今 天 流 行 話 語 是 「 我 SMS 俾 你 」 。
盲 目 講 求 快 的 時 代 , 人 摒 棄 思 想 , 以 為 對 話 等 同
唆 , 思 考 就 是 沉 悶 。 一 個 快 字 , 令 生 命 全 無 間 斷 地 充 滿 action 。 二 十 一 世 紀 , 消 費 生 活 數 碼 化 、 卡 通 化 、 遊 戲 機 化 , 速 度 的 改 變 , 同 時 毀 滅 了 許 多 千 秋 稱 頌 的 情 懷 。
浪 漫 就 不 是 從 快 中 求 得 的 。 從 前 是 談 情 , 今 日 是 嫖 妓 。 連 大 學 生 也 喪 失 了 浪 漫 的 本 能 , 把 向 政 府 借 來 的 學 費 , 每 學 期 的 頭 三 星 期 往 來 東 莞 和 紅 磡 火 車 站 , 花 在 北 姑 身 上 。
一 個 大 學 生 最 近 告 訴 我 , 他 未 來 四 年 的 心 願 , 是 成 為 「 萬 人 斬 」 , 即 與 一 萬 個 女 人 正 法 上 床 。 然 後 他 出 示 他 的 手 機 , 他 把 十 二 歲 以 來 女 友 和 北 姑 , 上 床 的 過 程 拍 成 短 片 , 儲 藏 在 手 機 裡 。 他 向 我 展 示 其 中 的 一 個 volume , 共 十 條 短 片 , 告 訴 我 這 只 是 他 收 藏 的 一 部 分 。
「 你 的 『 萬 人 斬 』 計 劃 實 現 了 幾 成 ? 」 我 笑 問 。
「 唔 係 咁 多 , 到 今 日 為 止 , 只 有 三 千 , 我 希 望 在 三 十 歲 之 前 達 標 。 」
這 位 大 學 生 朋 友 , 父 母 是 廠 商 , 有 工 廠 在 大 陸 。 他 畢 業 後 可 以 在 廣 東 當 一 個 CEO , 那 時 候 他 身 邊 會 有 湖 南 和 河 南 女 工 爭 相 獻 身 。 我 向 他 表 示 恭 賀 : 只 要 你 順 利 畢 業 , 不 必 到 三 十 , 繼 承 你 Daddy 的 產 業 , 一 年 就 可 以 reach target 。 我 為 「 萬 人 斬 」 感 到 由 衷 的 高 興 。 沒 有 做 愛 , 只 有 性 交 , 當 男 人 的 早 洩 在 一 個 電 子 高 科 技 的 時 代 , 成 為 高 效 率 的 一 種 美 德 , 而 不 是 女 人 嘲 笑 的 缺 點 , 至 少 這 位 「 萬 人 斬 」 哥 哥 , 這 一 生 一 樣 重 大 的 創 痛 可 以 永 久 免 疫 , 就 是 失 戀 。
還 記 得 一 種 叫 「 他 媽 哥 池 」 的 古 董 玩 具 嗎 ? 一 隻 人 造 雞 蛋 , 孵 出 小 雞 , 短 短 三 幾 天 , 雞 就 完 成 孵 化 和 老 死 的 過 程 。 今 天 香 港 人 再 也 吃 不 到 走 地 雞 了 。 什 麼 中 央 屠 宰 、 雞 不 留 過 夜 — — 這 句 話 聽 來 可 笑 : 哪 個 笨 男 人 會 把 一 隻 雞 留 來 自 己 家 中 過 夜 的 呢 ? 全 世 界 的 雞 都 在 電 燈 泡 的 工 場 匆 匆 孵 化 、 匆 匆 屠 宰 , 雞 肉 變 質 了 , 因 為 生 老 病 死 的 自 然 過 程 , 被 人 類 一 手 扭 曲 摧 毀 了 。 禽 流 感 就 是 違 抗 天 意 的 現 眼 報 。
今 天 的 小 學 生 , 還 有 幾 個 孵 豆 芽 、 養 蠶 蟲 、 養 小 雞 呢 ? 三 種 活 動 我 都 玩 過 。 一 顆 黃 豆 要 細 心 澆 水 , 看 它 在 陽 光 中 發 芽 。 幾 顆 蠶 卵 , 要 給 牠 買 新 鮮 的 桑 葉 , 由 幼 蠶 到 結 繭 成 蛾 , 要 兩 星 期 。 小 學 六 年 級 , 我 從 廣 州 三 元 里 附 近 的 新 市 , 買 了 兩 隻 小 雞 回 香 港 , 養 在 騎 樓 , 看
小 雞 長
嫩 黃 的 翼 毛 , 在 成 長 中 混 厚 生 輝 , 最 後 看
牠 長 出 鮮 紅 的 雞 冠 , 當 冷 漠 的 家 長 把 雞 捉 到 市 場 去 屠 宰 , 哪 個 小 孩 不 會 刻 骨 銘 心 , 痛 哭 一 夜 ?
一 切 追 求 快 的 時 代 , 有 效 率 , 但 無 情 。 當 人 把 自 己 的 靈 魂 , 典 當 給 速 度 的 時 候 , 也 付 出 了 人 性 的 代 價 。 對 於 這 一 點 , 中 國 的 老 子 早 已 看 破 了 , 他 說 : 以 有 涯 逐 無 涯 , 殆 矣 。 任 你 事 事 辦 得 怎 樣 快 , 補 不 回 有 限 的 生 命 , 追 不 過 無 涯 的 時 間 。
奇 怪 的 是 , 香 港 人 在 快 中 發 財 , 漸 漸 又 學 會 在 慢 中 求 享 受 。 一 場 哥 爾 夫 , 打 完 十 八 個 洞 , 是 快 不 來 的 。 坐 郵 輪 去 地 中 海 , 馬 賽 上 岸 , 遍 遊 科 西 嘉 與 西 西 里 , 也 非 要 兩 星 期 不 可 。 觀 賞 莫 奈 的 油 畫 《 睡 蓮 》 , 十 秒 鐘 不 夠 , 倫 敦 國 家 畫 廊 為 這 個 系 列 獨 闢 一 室 , 前 面 放 一 張 長 椅 , 供 觀 眾 坐 下 , 在 一 片 寂 靜 中 默 對 半 小 時 。 這 不 是 扮
, 而 是 像 在 教 堂 聽 聖 詩 一 樣 , 唯 有 在 荒 老 之 間 , 才 可 以 闢 得 一 片 心 靈 的 靜 土 。
石 油 一 百 四 十 美 元 , 是 人 類 的 福 分 。 反 省 吧 , 萬 人 斬 , 讓 我 們 重 新 找 尋 速 度 的 定 義 , 找 到 了 , 才 是 對 人 性 真 善 美 的 另 一 次 投 胎 。

Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Stop-Loss (2008)
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
周星馳以小強精神出頭天
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他,從小在廟街長大,中學畢業後,沒有工作、只會做夢;好不容易當上演員,卻面臨8年跑龍套的命運。但即使在命運惡神面前,他卻能保留一絲笑意,持續往上爬,成為現在家喻戶曉的喜劇之王——周星馳。 二十五年前,在電視劇「射雕英雄傳」裡,一身破爛衣、塗黑了臉,他是一掌被打死的臨時演員,那時,他沒有一句台詞。 合作多年的演員田啟文認為,他就是一個小人物,相信要比別人更努力工作、賦予工作生命,就一定會成功。 石班瑜說:「他不太和香港演藝圈的人和在一起,平時就是騎單車,穿個球鞋就來上班。」周星馳形容自己花很多時間在思考,「因為做導演,每天吃飯要想,走路要想,坐車要想,洗澡要想,連上廁所也要想。」像是「齊天大聖東╱西遊記」裡一段談愛情的對白,就是在坐車時想出來的。 武術結合足球的創意也是他苦思而來的,「在日本、歐洲,那麼熱愛足球,你把運動加上一些他們認知、但是又從來沒有見過的東西,肯定會接受。」想著想著,頭髮都想白了,四十六歲,他有著一頭比同年紀人更多的斑白頭髮和鬍髭。 |
Step Up 2: The Streets (2008)
The 2008 sequel to Step Up. The movie was directed by Jon Chu, and choreographed by Jamal Sims, Hi-Hat (Bring It On) and Dave Scott (Stomp the Yard).
Monday, July 21, 2008
Warai no Daigaku: University of Laughs (2004)
Warai no Daigaku: (笑の大学) University of Laughs is a story by Japanese dramatist Mitani Koki which began as a play in 1997 staring actors Nishimura Masahiko as the Censor and Kondo Yoshimasa as the Playwright. Masahiko Nishimura won the Best Theatre Actor award for his performance in the play.
After success it was then made into a movie in 2004 starring actors Yakusho Koji and Goro Inagaki by Fuji Television and Toho Studios. The major theme of the piece is censorship vs. an artist's freedom of expression, but it is a comedy and was intended so, not a political commentary as it may seem.
Set in 1940 Japan, the movie centers on seven days in the life of Hajime Tsubaki (SMAP's Goro Inagaki), a jittery, but earnest writer/director for an Asakusa comedy troupe who is obligated by law to submit his latest script for government approval before it can be performed in public. This normally wouldn't be much of a problem since Tsubaki's previous visits to the censor have resulted in approval with only minor edits. But this time around, our hero faces a rather challenging obstacle.
Unfortunately for the hapless writer, there's a new sheriff in town in the form of Mutsuo Sakisaka (the great Koji Yakusho), a hard-nosed police censor with a big axe to grind with purveyors of "lowbrow" entertainment. Unimpressed and even furious with some of the liberties Tsubaki has taken in his script, Sakisaka mercilessly points out the "faults" of the play, believing them to be too extensive to be revised. Although other writers might have refused to alter their work due to artistic reasons, Tsubaki has no such qualms since he clearly prescribes to the belief that "the show must go on." Thus, he pleads with Sakisaka, who eventually agrees to allow him another chance, suggesting that the playwright make certain key changes and come back the next day. And so begins a seven day battle of wits between the two men that eventually blossoms into the unlikeliest of partnerships.
Although the first few meetings begin with the seemingly humorless Sakisaka making unreasonable demands, Tsubaki soon realizes the stoic official has a talent for comedy. With each passing visit, Sakisaka transforms from censor to de facto script doctor, evaluating the play less for its possible inflammatory content and more on its comedic value. Although he seemingly cannot comprehend humor, he makes several important observations, often considering the character's motivation and whether certain actions make sense within the plot. Consequently, Tsubaki's parody of Romeo and Juliet - which seems funny on its own - becomes even funnier thanks to Sakisaka's unconventional help. Although frustrated by the process, Tsubaki soon learns that when an artist is forced to work within constraints, he can sometimes create something ten times better than he ever could when he had complete artistic freedom. But even as this partnership flourishes into something wonderful, the specter of the outside world threatens to destroy it all.
Since University of Laughs is essentially a movie about two guys in a room talking, the success of the film hangs heavily on the performances of its leads, and thankfully, they both come through in spades. The film boasts a fantastic acting turn from Koji Yakusho, who is more than worthy of the accolades thrown his way in regard to this film. Smartly, his character is neither written nor performed as a fool, as one might expect in a film in which an artist battles against an authority figure. Similarly, Sakisaka is not a one-note bad guy, but instead a complicated, yet inherently good human being, one who comes to respect and even like Tsubaki, but must battle against his own loyalties and personal hang-ups to successfully maintain this wholly unexpected "friendship."
Goro Inagaki serves as an effective foil to the often stern-faced Koji Yakusho. Although his character is willing to accommodate the censor's demands, Inagaki makes sure to show that his character is fighting it all the way. And thus, his character should not be seen as a complete pushover, just a comic in a never-ending pursuit of a laugh, who adapts to this situation in the hopes of making his script even stronger. In that respect, he bears the hallmarks of a true artist, or as the movie explains, one particular kind of artist. Although Sakisaka makes the greater personal journey in terms of character growth and is therefore much more interesting, Tsubaki is very much integral to the film, and Inagaki holds his own with veteran actor Yakusho. By the end, both actors have charmed the audience and earned an equal share of the laughs thanks to their always entertaining verbal by-play.
Of course, the underlying social issues that are central to this movie cannot be ignored, nor should they be. Considering its content, the film seems eerily timely, as the idea of a government stamping out freedom of expression in the name of wartime concerns will register with many viewers across the globe. This social commentary informs the emotional journey that happens right underneath our noses as the film progresses. The burgeoning friendship between Sakisaka and Tsubaki climaxes in the film's poignant final scene. Here, the reality of war, which until then had only been something that existed outside the walls of their meeting room hits frighteningly close to home. The emotional pull of these scenes is well-earned and laces the finale with a sense of hope despite its open-endedness.
Although most audiences don't go to a comedy to be moved, University of Laughs works as a great exception to this rule. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll definitely be glad you took the time to watch it. To borrow the censor's terminology: University of Laughs is approved, no edits necessary. (Sanjuro 2005)
《笑之大學》改編自《古[火田]任三郎》的編劇三谷幸喜執筆的舞台劇,曾獲讀賣演劇最優秀作品賞的舞台劇《笑之大學》,今次分別由役所廣司 及SMAP成員稻垣吾郎飾演昭和15年(第二次世界大戰時)警廳劇目審議員向[土反]及代表「笑之大學」劇場的編劇樁一,拍擋組合新鮮,或許只有兩、三個場景,在幾百尺的普通木板的辦公室(就如產品圖中的房間),拍攝製作如斯認真,對白精闢獨到,題材警世,筆者相信如此一個故事,《笑之大學》無論在舞台上,或銀幕上,也同樣精彩。
《談談情.跳跳舞》令大家認識了役所廣司 ,他的樣子老是認真又嚴肅(有時甚至木納),當警廳這個不偏不倚的苦差是最適合不過;SMAP稻垣吾郎,我印象中他沒有什麼代表作,本來對他的演出不太期望,但他戴起啡色絨毛卜帽,穿起格仔恤衫加深咖色的外衣,認真入努力去推銷計畫書,當然他傾力演出不及役深厚的功力,然而絕不輸役所廣司,足見他的認真。
兩個男人,在數百尺的房間談心,非也!為了一個本名為「Romiet and Juilano」搞笑劇目(本意為諷刺「Romino and Juliet」的浪漫悲劇),樁一專誠到警廳劇目審議員向[土反]批核,並須蓋上「許可」章方可公演。向[土反]第一次看樁一的劇本已遭否決,正想蓋上「不許可」印章之時,樁一鍥而不捨的請求打動了向[土反],於是一日復一日,樁一與向[土反]在七天傾劇本時建立了一份情誼,豈料此時時局改變了一切……
雖然本人不懂日文(看的是英文字幕的日本版DVD),但樁一與向[土反]的對白卻是令觀眾看得蠢蠢欲動的,心癢癢的希望快些看向[土反]搞什麼。「Romiet and Juilano」是搞笑劇目,但向[土反]硬要樁一在劇本中加入愛國、護軍、宣傳警隊等訊息,又不准他加入男女主角親咀,明眼人一看便向[土反]一是想難為樁一,或是令劇本「面目全非」,試問如此一個「笑之大學」劇場的作家,豈能如此忍氣吞聲?樁一就是做到了,不過他仍然是佻皮的,好玩地將「For the sake of nation」改成「牛肉」(日文倒轉便是了!),又把正在捉犯的閒角變成大配角,將希特勒幻想成壽司師傅……老實說,如此快人快語,或者我看英文字幕時未必完全了解,但肯定的是精準的對白,沒有一句廢話,是三谷幸喜的功力。
最後一段,第七日,向[土反]本來欲為排除萬難的樁一及再三修改的劇本蓋上「許可」章時,樁一卻成為生不逢時的國民,此時觀眾才知道向[土反]的苦心。在警廳長長的走廊上,看著樁一一步一步行出視線,不論是向[土反],或是坐在電視機面前的你,甚至你如何看第二次世界大戰的日本帝國主義,也不禁肅然起敬。
除了內容外,我覺得片中劇作家椿一的態度倒是頗值得學習,面對無理的審核要求,他選擇面對並融入,還要讓這個無理要求成為讓劇本更上層樓的一環,實在是有了不起的韌性。
這個環節也帶出了審核官向阪睦男的改變,其實本作的趣味全集中在向阪睦男這個角色身上。看他從不屑喜劇的態度,變成宛如喜劇作家的過程,內容還參雜著他的憤怒與投入,尤其當他表現出那種『明明就要、假裝不要』的態度時,實在令人難忍嘴角的上揚。
總之,這部電影雖然是個純粹看兩個男人演對手戲的『小』電影,不過其實內容卻令人感到不輸一般電影。真希望有機會能看到當初舞台劇的呈現方式。
記得當初我也是先看了《暗戀桃花源》的電影版,當時看到幾乎要睡著,看了三次才真正看到結局,不過看《暗》的舞台劇版時,卻又覺得精神百倍、還笑聲連連。因此,我想如果這部《笑之大學》的電影版都能令我所喜愛的話,舞台劇必定會更精采才是,可惜啊!大概是沒什麼機會可以看到...
Sunday, July 20, 2008
The Illusionist (2006)
A period drama written and directed by Neil Burger and starring Edward Norton, Jessica Biel, and Paul Giamatti. Based loosely on Steven Millhauser's story "Eisenheim the Illusionist", The Illusionist tells the story of Eisenheim (Norton), a magician in turn-of-the-20th-century Vienna.
L Change the World L之終章 最後的23天 (2008)
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004)
イノセンス, Inosensu is the 2004 sequel to the anime film Ghost in the Shell. Innocence had a production budget of approximately $20 million (approx. 2 billion yen). To raise such a large amount of money, Production I.G's president Mitsuhisa Ishikawa asked Studio Ghibli's president Toshio Suzuki to work on the project with him as a co-producer. The film is written and directed by Mamoru Oshii, with a story loosely connected to the manga by Shirow Masamune. The movie was produced by Production I.G, which also produced the original movie and the spinoff TV series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.
Alongside the film, there was a book published that served as a prequel to Innocence called After the Long Goodbye.
Much of the storyline is taken from the original Ghost in the Shell manga, from a chapter called Robot Rondo, albeit heavily modified from the original tale. The story of Innocence begins in 2032, when cities are inhabited by the dwindling races of humans, purely mechanical androids, and cyborgs like Batou who still have a ghost (the in-universe term for the human spirit), but are vulnerable to ghost hacking.
The movie features several characters from the preceding movie, like Togusa, the most organic member of the team, Chief Aramaki and Batou, as the protagonists. Batou was originally partnered with Major Kusanagi, who disappeared at the end of the first film. He's now teamed with a reluctant Togusa, who says he never asked for the assignment and that he knows he could never compare to the Major.
The special officers of Public Security Section 9 are investigating a cyborg corporation called LOCUS SOLUS (from the novel of the same name by French author Raymond Roussel) and its gynoids—androids made in the form of young women and used as sex dolls—that have killed eight people, having deliberately been tampered with in order to trigger a police investigation. The dolls possessed a "ghost" (which made them so desirable) that was created by using a "ghost-dubbing" machine, an illegal procedure which produces "information-degraded, high-volume copies", but results in the death of the originals. Young girls were kidnapped by the Yakuza and sold to LOCUS SOLUS for this process. Two of the girls conspire with a LOCUS SOLUS shipping inspector named Volkerson to cause the malfunctions and thus draw official attention to their plight. Batou's body is fully artificial. As the movie's trailer dramatically posits, "the only remnants left of his humanity, encased inside a titanium skull shell, are traces of his brain, and the memories of a woman called Motoko Kusanagi." Major Motoko Kusanagi, the protagonist of Ghost in the Shell, is listed as missing, although government agents are still looking for her as she has confidential knowledge on Project 2501. In the film, Batou explains to Togusa that he helped the Major escape because the government only cared about what she knew and not her as a person.
In the climax of the film, when Batou is being overwhelmed by Locus Solus guards and gynoids killing each other, Kusanagi and Batou get reunited in the middle of a firefight when she downloads a part of her consciousness into an empty gynoid. After "Kusanagi" has fulfilled her task, she reassures Batou that "I'll always be with you online"; then the gynoid deactivates.
Ghost in the Shell (1996)
攻殻機動隊, Kōkaku Kidōtai, translated as "Mobile Armored Riot Police" is a Japanese cyberpunk manga created by Masamune Shirow, and first published in 1989 in Young Magazine. A sequel, Ghost in the Shell 2: Man/Machine Interface, was released in 2002.
Over the years, the manga series has been adapted into the following: three anime films—Ghost in the Shell, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Solid State Society; and two anime television series—Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig; all produced by Production I.G, along with one PlayStation game, one PlayStation 2 game, and one PlayStation Portable game.
The Wachowski brothers, makers of the Matrix trilogy, have commented on the influence of Ghost in the Shell in an interview. Producer Joel Silver also stated in an interview on the Animatrix DVD that he was shown the Ghost in the Shell movie during a pitch from the Wachowski brothers to indicate the style and look of the film they wanted for The Matrix.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Mandela: His 8 Lessons of Leadership
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1821467,00.html
Nelson Mandela has always felt most at ease around children, and in some ways his greatest deprivation was that he spent 27 years without hearing a baby cry or holding a child's hand. Last month, when I visited Mandela in Johannesburg — a frailer, foggier Mandela than the one I used to know — his first instinct was to spread his arms to my two boys. Within seconds they were hugging the friendly old man who asked them what sports they liked to play and what they'd had for breakfast. While we talked, he held my son Gabriel, whose complicated middle name is Rolihlahla, Nelson Mandela's real first name. He told Gabriel the story of that name, how in Xhosa it translates as "pulling down the branch of a tree" but that its real meaning is "troublemaker."
As he celebrates his 90th birthday next week, Nelson Mandela has made enough trouble for several lifetimes. He liberated a country from a system of violent prejudice and helped unite white and black, oppressor and oppressed, in a way that had never been done before. In the 1990s I worked with Mandela for almost two years on his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom. After all that time spent in his company, I felt a terrible sense of withdrawal when the book was done; it was like the sun going out of one's life. We have seen each other occasionally over the years, but I wanted to make what might be a final visit and have my sons meet him one more time.
I also wanted to talk to him about leadership. Mandela is the closest thing the world has to a secular saint, but he would be the first to admit that he is something far more pedestrian: a politician. He overthrew apartheid and created a nonracial democratic South Africa by knowing precisely when and how to transition between his roles as warrior, martyr, diplomat and statesman. Uncomfortable with abstract philosophical concepts, he would often say to me that an issue "was not a question of principle; it was a question of tactics." He is a master tactician.
Mandela is no longer comfortable with inquiries or favors. He's fearful that he may not be able to summon what people expect when they visit a living deity, and vain enough to care that they not think him diminished. But the world has never needed Mandela's gifts — as a tactician, as an activist and, yes, as a politician — more, as he showed again in London on June 25, when he rose to condemn the savagery of Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe. As we enter the main stretch of a historic presidential campaign in America, there is much that he can teach the two candidates. I've always thought of what you are about to read as Madiba's Rules (Madiba, his clan name, is what everyone close to him calls him), and they are cobbled together from our conversations old and new and from observing him up close and from afar. They are mostly practical. Many of them stem directly from his personal experience. All of them are calibrated to cause the best kind of trouble: the trouble that forces us to ask how we can make the world a better place.
No. 1
Courage is not the absence of fear — it's inspiring others to move beyond it
In 1994, during the presidential-election campaign, Mandela got on a tiny propeller plane to fly down to the killing fields of Natal and give a speech to his Zulu supporters. I agreed to meet him at the airport, where we would continue our work after his speech. When the plane was 20 minutes from landing, one of its engines failed. Some on the plane began to panic. The only thing that calmed them was looking at Mandela, who quietly read his newspaper as if he were a commuter on his morning train to the office. The airport prepared for an emergency landing, and the pilot managed to land the plane safely. When Mandela and I got in the backseat of his bulletproof BMW that would take us to the rally, he turned to me and said, "Man, I was terrified up there!"
Mandela was often afraid during his time underground, during the Rivonia trial that led to his imprisonment, during his time on Robben Island. "Of course I was afraid!" he would tell me later. It would have been irrational, he suggested, not to be. "I can't pretend that I'm brave and that I can beat the whole world." But as a leader, you cannot let people know. "You must put up a front."
And that's precisely what he learned to do: pretend and, through the act of appearing fearless, inspire others. It was a pantomime Mandela perfected on Robben Island, where there was much to fear. Prisoners who were with him said watching Mandela walk across the courtyard, upright and proud, was enough to keep them going for days. He knew that he was a model for others, and that gave him the strength to triumph over his own fear.
No. 2
Lead from the front — but don't leave your base behind
Mandela is cagey. in 1985 he was operated on for an enlarged prostate. When he was returned to prison, he was separated from his colleagues and friends for the first time in 21 years. They protested. But as his longtime friend Ahmed Kathrada recalls, he said to them, "Wait a minute, chaps. Some good may come of this."
The good that came of it was that Mandela on his own launched negotiations with the apartheid government. This was anathema to the African National Congress (ANC). After decades of saying "prisoners cannot negotiate" and after advocating an armed struggle that would bring the government to its knees, he decided that the time was right to begin to talk to his oppressors.
When he initiated his negotiations with the government in 1985, there were many who thought he had lost it. "We thought he was selling out," says Cyril Ramaphosa, then the powerful and fiery leader of the National Union of Mineworkers. "I went to see him to tell him, What are you doing? It was an unbelievable initiative. He took a massive risk."
Mandela launched a campaign to persuade the ANC that his was the correct course. His reputation was on the line. He went to each of his comrades in prison, Kathrada remembers, and explained what he was doing. Slowly and deliberately, he brought them along. "You take your support base along with you," says Ramaphosa, who was secretary-general of the ANC and is now a business mogul. "Once you arrive at the beachhead, then you allow the people to move on. He's not a bubble-gum leader — chew it now and throw it away."
For Mandela, refusing to negotiate was about tactics, not principles. Throughout his life, he has always made that distinction. His unwavering principle — the overthrow of apartheid and the achievement of one man, one vote — was immutable, but almost anything that helped him get to that goal he regarded as a tactic. He is the most pragmatic of idealists.
"He's a historical man," says Ramaphosa. "He was thinking way ahead of us. He has posterity in mind: How will they view what we've done?" Prison gave him the ability to take the long view. It had to; there was no other view possible. He was thinking in terms of not days and weeks but decades. He knew history was on his side, that the result was inevitable; it was just a question of how soon and how it would be achieved. "Things will be better in the long run," he sometimes said. He always played for the long run.
No. 3
Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front
Mandela loved to reminisce about his boyhood and his lazy afternoons herding cattle. "You know," he would say, "you can only lead them from behind." He would then raise his eyebrows to make sure I got the analogy.
As a boy, Mandela was greatly influenced by Jongintaba, the tribal king who raised him. When Jongintaba had meetings of his court, the men gathered in a circle, and only after all had spoken did the king begin to speak. The chief's job, Mandela said, was not to tell people what to do but to form a consensus. "Don't enter the debate too early," he used to say.
During the time I worked with Mandela, he often called meetings of his kitchen cabinet at his home in Houghton, a lovely old suburb of Johannesburg. He would gather half a dozen men, Ramaphosa, Thabo Mbeki (who is now the South African President) and others around the dining-room table or sometimes in a circle in his driveway. Some of his colleagues would shout at him — to move faster, to be more radical — and Mandela would simply listen. When he finally did speak at those meetings, he slowly and methodically summarized everyone's points of view and then unfurled his own thoughts, subtly steering the decision in the direction he wanted without imposing it. The trick of leadership is allowing yourself to be led too. "It is wise," he said, "to persuade people to do things and make them think it was their own idea."
No. 4
Know your enemy — and learn about his favorite sport
As far back as the 1960s, mandela began studying Afrikaans, the language of the white South Africans who created apartheid. His comrades in the ANC teased him about it, but he wanted to understand the Afrikaner's worldview; he knew that one day he would be fighting them or negotiating with them, and either way, his destiny was tied to theirs.
This was strategic in two senses: by speaking his opponents' language, he might understand their strengths and weaknesses and formulate tactics accordingly. But he would also be ingratiating himself with his enemy. Everyone from ordinary jailers to P.W. Botha was impressed by Mandela's willingness to speak Afrikaans and his knowledge of Afrikaner history. He even brushed up on his knowledge of rugby, the Afrikaners' beloved sport, so he would be able to compare notes on teams and players.
Mandela understood that blacks and Afrikaners had something fundamental in common: Afrikaners believed themselves to be Africans as deeply as blacks did. He knew, too, that Afrikaners had been the victims of prejudice themselves: the British government and the white English settlers looked down on them. Afrikaners suffered from a cultural inferiority complex almost as much as blacks did.
Mandela was a lawyer, and in prison he helped the warders with their legal problems. They were far less educated and worldly than he, and it was extraordinary to them that a black man was willing and able to help them. These were "the most ruthless and brutal of the apartheid regime's characters," says Allister Sparks, the great South African historian, and he "realized that even the worst and crudest could be negotiated with."
No. 5
Keep your friends close — and your rivals even closer
Many of the guests mandela invited to the house he built in Qunu were people whom, he intimated to me, he did not wholly trust. He had them to dinner; he called to consult with them; he flattered them and gave them gifts. Mandela is a man of invincible charm — and he has often used that charm to even greater effect on his rivals than on his allies.
On Robben Island, Mandela would always include in his brain trust men he neither liked nor relied on. One person he became close to was Chris Hani, the fiery chief of staff of the ANC's military wing. There were some who thought Hani was conspiring against Mandela, but Mandela cozied up to him. "It wasn't just Hani," says Ramaphosa. "It was also the big industrialists, the mining families, the opposition. He would pick up the phone and call them on their birthdays. He would go to family funerals. He saw it as an opportunity." When Mandela emerged from prison, he famously included his jailers among his friends and put leaders who had kept him in prison in his first Cabinet. Yet I well knew that he despised some of these men.
There were times he washed his hands of people — and times when, like so many people of great charm, he allowed himself to be charmed. Mandela initially developed a quick rapport with South African President F.W. de Klerk, which is why he later felt so betrayed when De Klerk attacked him in public.
Mandela believed that embracing his rivals was a way of controlling them: they were more dangerous on their own than within his circle of influence. He cherished loyalty, but he was never obsessed by it. After all, he used to say, "people act in their own interest." It was simply a fact of human nature, not a flaw or a defect. The flip side of being an optimist — and he is one — is trusting people too much. But Mandela recognized that the way to deal with those he didn't trust was to neutralize them with charm.
No. 6
Appearances matter — and remember to smile
When Mandela was a poor law student in Johannesburg wearing his one threadbare suit, he was taken to see Walter Sisulu. Sisulu was a real estate agent and a young leader of the ANC. Mandela saw a sophisticated and successful black man whom he could emulate. Sisulu saw the future.
Sisulu once told me that his great quest in the 1950s was to turn the ANC into a mass movement; and then one day, he recalled with a smile, "a mass leader walked into my office." Mandela was tall and handsome, an amateur boxer who carried himself with the regal air of a chief's son. And he had a smile that was like the sun coming out on a cloudy day.
We sometimes forget the historical correlation between leadership and physicality. George Washington was the tallest and probably the strongest man in every room he entered. Size and strength have more to do with DNA than with leadership manuals, but Mandela understood how his appearance could advance his cause. As leader of the ANC's underground military wing, he insisted that he be photographed in the proper fatigues and with a beard, and throughout his career he has been concerned about dressing appropriately for his position. George Bizos, his lawyer, remembers that he first met Mandela at an Indian tailor's shop in the 1950s and that Mandela was the first black South African he had ever seen being fitted for a suit. Now Mandela's uniform is a series of exuberant-print shirts that declare him the joyous grandfather of modern Africa.
When Mandela was running for the presidency in 1994, he knew that symbols mattered as much as substance. He was never a great public speaker, and people often tuned out what he was saying after the first few minutes. But it was the iconography that people understood. When he was on a platform, he would always do the toyi-toyi, the township dance that was an emblem of the struggle. But more important was that dazzling, beatific, all-inclusive smile. For white South Africans, the smile symbolized Mandela's lack of bitterness and suggested that he was sympathetic to them. To black voters, it said, I am the happy warrior, and we will triumph. The ubiquitous ANC election poster was simply his smiling face. "The smile," says Ramaphosa, "was the message."
After he emerged from prison, people would say, over and over, It is amazing that he is not bitter. There are a thousand things Nelson Mandela was bitter about, but he knew that more than anything else, he had to project the exact opposite emotion. He always said, "Forget the past" — but I knew he never did.
No. 7
Nothing is black or white
When we began our series of interviews, I would often ask Mandela questions like this one: When you decided to suspend the armed struggle, was it because you realized you did not have the strength to overthrow the government or because you knew you could win over international opinion by choosing nonviolence? He would then give me a curious glance and say, "Why not both?"
I did start asking smarter questions, but the message was clear: Life is never either/or. Decisions are complex, and there are always competing factors. To look for simple explanations is the bias of the human brain, but it doesn't correspond to reality. Nothing is ever as straightforward as it appears.
Mandela is comfortable with contradiction. As a politician, he was a pragmatist who saw the world as infinitely nuanced. Much of this, I believe, came from living as a black man under an apartheid system that offered a daily regimen of excruciating and debilitating moral choices: Do I defer to the white boss to get the job I want and avoid a punishment? Do I carry my pass?
As a statesman, Mandela was uncommonly loyal to Muammar Gaddafi and Fidel Castro. They had helped the ANC when the U.S. still branded Mandela as a terrorist. When I asked him about Gaddafi and Castro, he suggested that Americans tend to see things in black and white, and he would upbraid me for my lack of nuance. Every problem has many causes. While he was indisputably and clearly against apartheid, the causes of apartheid were complex. They were historical, sociological and psychological. Mandela's calculus was always, What is the end that I seek, and what is the most practical way to get there?
No. 8
Quitting is leading too
In 1993, Mandela asked me if I knew of any countries where the minimum voting age was under 18. I did some research and presented him with a rather undistinguished list: Indonesia, Cuba, Nicaragua, North Korea and Iran. He nodded and uttered his highest praise: "Very good, very good." Two weeks later, Mandela went on South African television and proposed that the voting age be lowered to 14. "He tried to sell us the idea," recalls Ramaphosa, "but he was the only [supporter]. And he had to face the reality that it would not win the day. He accepted it with great humility. He doesn't sulk. That was also a lesson in leadership."
Knowing how to abandon a failed idea, task or relationship is often the most difficult kind of decision a leader has to make. In many ways, Mandela's greatest legacy as President of South Africa is the way he chose to leave it. When he was elected in 1994, Mandela probably could have pressed to be President for life — and there were many who felt that in return for his years in prison, that was the least South Africa could do.
In the history of Africa, there have been only a handful of democratically elected leaders who willingly stood down from office. Mandela was determined to set a precedent for all who followed him — not only in South Africa but across the rest of the continent. He would be the anti-Mugabe, the man who gave birth to his country and refused to hold it hostage. "His job was to set the course," says Ramaphosa, "not to steer the ship." He knows that leaders lead as much by what they choose not to do as what they do.
Ultimately, the key to understanding Mandela is those 27 years in prison. The man who walked onto Robben Island in 1964 was emotional, headstrong, easily stung. The man who emerged was balanced and disciplined. He is not and never has been introspective. I often asked him how the man who emerged from prison differed from the willful young man who had entered it. He hated this question. Finally, in exasperation one day, he said, "I came out mature." There is nothing so rare — or so valuable — as a mature man. Happy birthday, Madiba.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Travis
| 本 週 是 7 月 31 日 將 於 亞 洲 博覽 館 開 首 次 本 地 個 唱 的 蘇 格 蘭 band 霸 Travis 。 曾 奪 兩 年 英 倫 最 佳 樂 隊 , 影 響 後 來 Coldplay 、 Keane 等 紅 band , 港 星 如 黃 家 強 、 柏 豪 講 明 會 撐 場 。 |
係 人 都 讚 靈 魂 人 Fran Healy
Travis 主 音 , 35 歲 , 可 謂 現 時 蘇 格 蘭 寫 歌 第 一 人 , Paul McCartney 、 Elton John 以 至 Oasis 的 Noel Gallagher 都 開 口 讚 過 , Coldplay 主 音 Chris Martin 更 曾 叫 自 己為 「 A Poor Man's Fran Healy 」 ( 窮 版 ) , 可 謂 受 盡 同 業 尊 敬 。
老 婆 靚 Dougie Payne
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36 歲 的 Travis 低 音 結 他 手 , 於 Travis 前 身 樂 隊 Glass Onion ( 出 自 Beatles 名 曲 )後 期 加 入 , 佢 老 婆 係 做 過 《 2 百 萬 奪 奇 命 案 》 的 演 員 Kelly Macdonald 。
瀨
王 Neil Primrose
|
同樣 36 歲 , 是 隊 中 最 遲 加 入 成 員 , 另 3 位 同 樣 出 身 自 「 Glasgow School of Art 」, 只 有 他 是 於 Travis 前 身 Paper Onion 常 演 出 的 bar 內 工 作 而 識 , 經 典 者 莫 過 於 02 年 曾 受 傷 , 3 年 沒 隨 隊 演 出 。
成 立 : 1995 年
曾 獲 獎 項 :
2000 年 : BRIT Awards Best Album/Best Band
2001 年 : BRIT Awards Best Songwriter(s) /Best Band
「 陳 大 文 」 悲 涼 唱 腔
Travis 來 自 風 景 明 媚 的 蘇 格 蘭 , 盛 產 低 調 音 樂 人 如 Belle & Sebastian 、 Franz Ferdinand 。 Travis 亦 如 是 , 不 會 有 如 Maroon 5 般 多 緋 聞 , 冇 是 非 , 唱 片 封 面 更每 每 面 目 模 糊 , 風 景 作 主 , 人 其 次 , 成 名 作 〈 The Man Who 〉 亦 開 宗 明 義 以 一 個 最普 通 的 人 為 故 事 骨 幹 , 到 最 新 大 碟 《 Ode To J.Smith 》 , 連 主 音 Healy 都 話 「 J.Smith 是 一 個 最 普 通 的 名 字 ( 像 陳 大 文 ) , 我 們 向 來 喜 歡 唱 普 通 人 會 遇 上 的 事 ,因 為 最 易 有 共 鳴 。 」
歌 詞 平 凡 , 帶 悲 涼 唱 腔 卻 只 此 一 家 , 後 來 更 沉 鬱 的 Coldplay 可 謂 師 承 他 們 , 但 英 國 樂 誌 則 不 時 指 Coldplay 青 出 於 藍 , 「 我
同 Coldplay 好 老 友 , 暑 假 雖 然 撞 正 出 碟 , 惟 有 於 排 位 榜 上 一 決 勝 負 。 」 為 人 低 調唔 代 表 冇 綽 頭 , 〈 Closer 〉 MV 就 見 荷 里 活 笑 匠 Ben Stiller 客 串 ( 主 音 Healy 老友 ) , 玩 盡 喜 怒 哀 樂 元 素 , 正 如 常 用 的 「 風 景 大 人 細 」 封 面 相 , 其 實 都 係 出 自 名 攝影 師 Stan Ruiz 之 手 。
鼓 手 險 冇 命
「大 Band 大 」 Radiohead 帶 頭 將 新 歌 以 MP3 網 上 download 形 式 發 售 , 本 地 林 一 峰 已仿 效 , Travis 亦 如 是 , 「 現 時 唱 片 已 經 少 人 買 , MP3 為 勢 所 趨 , 但 正 式 CD 隨 後 仍會 出 。 形 式 對 我 們 來 說 不 重 要 , 我 們 封 套 設 計 已 有 隱 喻 , 我 們 在 那 些 照 片 總 是 很 細, 景 物 很 大 , 寓 意 音 樂 對 我 們 來 說 才 是 最 重 要 , 就 如 Madonna 沒 有 好 歌 〈 Into the Groove 〉 、 〈 Crazy For You 〉 , 她 就 不 是 Madonna ; 我 們 的 偶 像 The Beatles 沒 有 好 歌 也 不 是 The Beatles 。 」
但 我 就 認 為 一 隊 band 霸 總 有 些 「經 歷 」 。 The Beatles 的 John Lennon 不 幸 被 槍 殺 , 年 前 Manic Street Preachers 又 有 隊 員 失 蹤 , 仲 有 我 們 的 Beyond 。 Travis 02 年 就 曾 試 過 到 法 國 巡迴 演 出 , 鼓 手 Neil 在 酒 店 泳 池 跌 斷 頸 差 點 喪 命 , 幸 好 已 康 復 。 今 年 Travis 更 擺 脫所 有 , 一 身 輕 , 自 己 做 老 闆 出 碟 , 六 月 首 作 是 新 碟 《 Ode to J.Smith 》 , 為 人 低調 , 但 行 得 前 。
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6 月 30 日 推 出 的 新 碟 《 Ode to J.Smith 》 只 於 英 國 推 出 , 因 為 Travis 今 天 已 為 獨立 label , 香 港 仍 未 有 代 理 。 上 週 BBC 英 國 排 行 大 碟 榜 冠 軍 ( 7 月 6 日 ) 為 Coldplay , Travis 碟 於 6 月 30 日 推 出 , 未 計 到 數 , 本 週 應 該 有 分 曉 。
大 band 都 撐
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寸 band Oasis 開 口 話 愛 上 Travis , 愛 到 05 年 齊 齊 於 美 國 巡 迴 演 唱 會 , 同 期 推 出 大 碟 《 The Boy With No Name 》 。
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《 Closer 》 MV 故 事 講 一 個 冷 漠 超 級 市 場
, 聽 完 歌 人 人 一 齊 做 好 朋 友 , Ben Stiller 飾 演 惡 死 經 理 , 主 音 Healy : 「 人 與 人之 間 有 好 多 時 會 疏 遠 , 像 我 與 老 婆 結 婚 9 年 之 間 就 會 日 久 麻 木 , 藉 此 歌 提 醒 大 家 。」
蘇 格 蘭 band 先 鋒
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Travis 紅 起 後 興 起 好 一 陣 子 蘇 格 蘭 band 熱 , Coldplay 、 Keane 先 後 興 起 , 保 持 蘇 格 蘭 band 風 格 , 一 貫 唔 多 靚 仔 唔 多 打 扮 , 大 家 均 是 形 象 其 次 以 歌 為 主 。
Mini Choi MV 最 正
「 鍾 意 Travis 除
因 為 音 樂 更 因 為 佢
MV , 首 選 《 Flowers In the Window 》 , 入 面 將 整 個 城 市 的 女 人 都 變 成 大 肚 婆 ,街 上 行 人 、 修 路 工 人 到 櫥 窗 公 仔 都 係 大 肚 婆 , 歌 頌 生 命 氣 氛 , 但 MV 尾 卻 出 現 一 個被 籠 困 住 的 男 人 , 好 有 想 像 空 間 。 之 前 同 佢
做 過 電 話 訪 問 , 更 驚 喜 佢
會 嫌 自 己 慢 , 好 想 學 香 港 人 一 年 出 兩 隻 碟 ,
外 國 artist 好 少 聽 到 。 」
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Monday, July 14, 2008
There Will Be Blood (2007)
Directed, written and produced by Paul Thomas Anderson. The film is loosely based on the Upton Sinclair novel Oil! (1927). It tells the story of a silver-miner-turned-oil-man on a ruthless quest for power during Southern California's oil boom of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It stars Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Dano. Shooting began in mid-May 2006 in New Mexico and Marfa, Texas, with principal photography wrapping August 24, 2006. The first public screening was on September 29, 2007, at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas. The film was released on December 26 2007, in New York and Los Angeles, and then opened in a limited number of theaters in selected markets. It opened in wide release January 25, 2008.
The film received significant critical praise and numerous award nominations and victories. It appeared on many critics' "top ten" lists for the year, notably the National Society of Film Critics and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Day-Lewis won Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe, Screen Actors' Guild, NYFCC, and IFTA Best Actor awards for his performance. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards, winning Best Actor for Day-Lewis, and Best Cinematography for Robert Elswit.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Kung Fu Panda (2008)
An 2008 animated film about a bungling panda who aspires to be a kung fu warrior. Kung Fu Panda is directed by John Stevenson and Mark Osborne and produced by Melissa Cobb. Although the concept of a kung fu panda has been around since at least 1993, the idea for the film was conceived by Michael Lachance, a DreamWorks Animation executive. Work on the film did not begin until 2004 and the film premièred at the 61st Cannes Film Festival in May 2008.
The film stars the voices of Jack Black, Jackie Chan, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu, Seth Rogen, David Cross and Ian McShane.
| Actor | Role | Animal |
|---|---|---|
| Jack Black | Po | Giant Panda |
| Dustin Hoffman | Master Shifu | Red Panda |
| Angelina Jolie | Tigress | South China Tiger |
| Jackie Chan | Monkey | Golden Langur |
| Lucy Liu | Viper | Green Tree Viper |
| David Cross | Crane | Red-crowned Crane |
| Seth Rogen | Mantis | Praying Mantis |
| Ian McShane | Tai Lung | Snow Leopard |
| Dan Fogler | Zeng | Goose |
| Randall Duk Kim | Grand Master Oogway | Tortoise |
| James Hong | Mr. Ping | Goose |
| Michael Clarke Duncan | Commander Vachir | Javan Rhinoceros |
Saturday, July 12, 2008
中國人是優秀,還是迷失?
日 前 讀 到 葉 劉 淑 儀 的 一 篇 文 章 , 講 她 最 近 探 訪 四 川 災 區 , 感 受 到 「 內 地 處 理 災 情 反 應 迅 速 , 各 地 對 災 民 關 懷 備 至 , 而 我 所 接 觸 到 的 災 民 都 善 良 、 樸 素 、 樂 觀 , 沒 有 怨 天 尤 人 , 讓 我 感 受 到 中 華 民 族 的 優 秀 。 」
中 華 民 族 是 否 真 的 「 優 秀 」 ? 最 近 北 京 理 工 大 學 經 濟 學
授 胡 星 斗 , 在 網 絡 推 薦 一 篇 美 國 蘭 德 公 司 對 中 國 現 狀 的 分 析 報 告 , 卻 把 大 多 數 中 國 人 形 容 為 在 十 字 路 口 「 像 迷 失 的 狗 一 樣 不 知 何 去 何 從 」 。
蘭 德 公 司 , RAND 是 Research and Development 的 縮 寫 , 是 一 個 非 牟 利 的 調 研 機 構 。 筆 者 在 RAND 的 網 頁 上 暫 時 找 不 到 胡
授 介 紹 的 這 篇 文 章 的 原 文 , 但 譯 文 所 作 的 陳 述 , 則 極 像 是 外 國 人 對 中 國 的 觀 察 。 而 所 作 觀 察 , 又 使 胡
授 「 深 感 敬 佩 」 , 因 此 , 值 得 作 一 簡 介 。
分 析 報 告 不 帶 惡 意 , 它 開 頭 就 說 , 如 果 20 世 紀 中 國 是 一 個 富 裕 和 統 一 的 國 家 , 能 夠 阻 止 日 本 侵 略 , 珍 珠 港 事 件 就 不 會 發 生 , 美 國 和 整 個 世 界 就 不 會 為 中 國 的 弱 小 付 出 慘 重 代 價 。 因 此 , 「 世 界 需 要 健 康 的 中 國 」 。
接
, 文 章 分 析 中 國 的 經 濟 發 展 和 以 低 價 生 活 必 需 品 提 供 給 美 國 , 為 美 國 人 的 生 活 水 平 作 出 貢 獻 。 但 發 展 付 出 環 境 與 人 性 的 代 價 。 文 章 接
對 中 國 人 作 出 診 斷 :
‧ 中 國 人 缺 乏 誠 信 和 社 會 責 任 感 。 中 國 人 不 了 解 他 們 作 為 社 會 個 體 應 該 對 國 家 和 社 會 承 擔 的 責 任 和 義 務 。 中 國 人 以 血 緣 關 係 為 基 礎 的 道 德 觀 導 致 自 私 、 冷 酷 , 並 成 為 阻 礙 中 國 社 會 向 前 發 展 的 最 關 鍵 因 素 。
‧ 中 國 從 來 就 沒 有 成 為 法 制 社 會 , 中 國 人 的 思 維 方 式 與 守 法 行 為 格 格 不 入 。 中 國 人 老 想 走 捷 徑 。 他 們 不 明 白
: 成 就 來 自 於 努 力 工 作 和 犧 牲 。 中 國 人 傾 向 於 索 取 而 不 給 予 。
‧ 大 多 數 中 國 人 從 來 就 沒 有 學 到 過 甚 麼 是 體 面 和 尊 敬 的 生 活 意 義 。 「 面 子 」 是 中 國 人 心 理 最 基 本 的 組 成 部 份 , 是 中 國 人 難 以 克 服 的 障 礙 。
‧ 中 國 人 沒 有 勇 氣 追 求 他 們 認 為 正 確 的 事 情 。 他 們 沒 有 從 錯 誤 中 篩 選 正 確 事 物 的 能 力 。
‧ 中 國 人 習 慣 接 受 廉 價 和 免 費 的 事 物 , 他 們 總 是 夢 想 奇
或 者 好 運 , 想 要 不 勞 而 穫 。
‧ 中 國 大 規 模 生 產 的 便 宜 產 品 , 降 低 了 輸 入 這 些 產 品 的 地 區 的 商 業 信 用 度 。 中 國 擴 大 生 產 的 同 時 喪 失 寶 貴 資 源 , 也 嚴 重 污 染 環 境 。 使 中 國 變 為 世 界 上 最 不 適 宜 人 類 居 住 的 國 家 。
‧ 中 國 正 遭 受 資 本 主 義 兩 大 邪 惡 的 折 磨 , 即 環 境 破 壞 和 人 性 喪 失 。 中 國 人 對 西 方 的 技 術 和 產 品 狂 熱 追 求 , 卻 對 西 方 管 理 文 化 所 強 調 的 坦 率 、 直 接 、 誠 實 這 些 品 德 漠 不 關 心 。
‧ 中 國 文 化 不 鼓 勵 敢 於 冒 險 這 種 優 良 品 質 。 大 多 數 中 國 人 不 懂 得 「 精 神 靈 性 」 、 「 自 由 信 仰 」 、 「 心 智 健 康 」 這 些 概 念 。 他 們 的 思 想 還 停 留 在 專 注 於 動 物 本 能 對 性 和 食 物 那 點 貪 婪 可 憐 的 欲 望 上 。
‧ 中 國 人 受
育 不 是 為 了 尋 求 真 理 或 者 改 善 生 活 品 質 , 而 只 是 身 份 和 顯 赫 地 位 的 象 徵 和 標 誌 。 他 們 中 的 大 多 數 只 不 過 是 一 群 僅 僅 通 曉 考 試 卻 從 不 關 心 真 理 和 道 德 的 食 客 。
‧ 中 國 人 最 缺 乏 的 不 是 智 慧 , 而 是 勇 氣 和 正 直 的 純 正 品 性 。 所 以 , 大 多 數 中 國 人 , 包 括 受 過
育 的 人 都 徘 徊 在 精 神 和 內 心 世 界 的 十 字 路 口 , 像 迷 失 的 狗 一 樣 不 知 何 去 何 從 。
胡 星 斗
授 推 介 這 份 分 析 報 告 的 同 時 , 也 指 出 報 告 沒 有 講 出 中 國 人 沉 淪 的 原 因 , 「 其 實 原 因 很 簡 單 ─ ─ 兩 千 多 年 的 人 治 和 專 制 體 制 、 謊 言 與 暴 力 的 政 治 」 。 災 民 「 沒 有 怨 天 尤 人 」 , 因 為 他 們 在 專 制 體 制 下 , 沒 有 「 怨 天 尤 人 」 的 權 利 , 他 們 無 法 反 抗 , 被 迫 「 善 良 」 , 而 其 實 是 認 命 , 被 迫 在 苦 中 「 樂 觀 」 。
中 國 人 聰 明 但 沒 有 勇 氣 , 麻 木 、 自 私 、 專 注 動 物 的 食 與 性 , 都 是 長 期 處 於 專 權 政 治 下 形 成 的 自 衞 本 能 , 用 胡
授 的 話 說 : 「 一 切 都 是 政 治 體 制 的 錯 」 。 這 是 「 優 秀 」 嗎 ? 還 是 可 憐 、 迷 失 ?
(李怡)
東邪西毒
當 時 眾 皆 默 然 , 唯 一 人 站 起 來 說 , 不 是 旗 動 , 也 不 是 風 動 , 是 你 們 的 心 在 動 。 住 持 知 道 這 人 非 省 油 的 燈 , 認 出 只 有 當 時 失 蹤 已 久 的 六 祖 慧 能 , 才 有 此 智 慧 。 六 祖 慧 能 就 是 從 印 度 西 來 的 達 摩 祖 師 的 第 六 代 , 亦 即 最 後 一 代 傳 人 。
禪 宗 在 中 土 落 地 開 花 , 本 來 強 調 不 落 文 字 障 , 意 會 而 不 能 言 傳 , 結 果 卻 衍 生 一 則 又 一 則 的 公 案 , 一 首 又 一 首 禪 詩 。 有 很 多 問 答 , 乍 聽 大 有 當 頭 棒 喝 的 一 聲 驚 雷 , 彷 彿 就 即 時 悟 道 了 , 細 心 想 想 , 又 覺 得 玄 得 來 , 誰 不 會 答 , 只 是 能 入 耳 不 能 入 心 。 就 像 旗 動 還 是 風 動 , 現 代 人 飽 經 世 故 , 這 些 表 面 很 玄 的 哲 理 聽 得 多 了 , 大 抵 很 多 人 都 會 舉 手 答 : 是 心 在 動 。 這 些 禪 理 , 如 何 能 落 實 在 現 實 生 活 中 讓 我 們 離 苦 得 樂 。
感 謝 習 副 主 席 有 助 我 們 就 地 意 會 , 如 何 做 到 心 不 動 , 風 與 旗 都 是 動 如 不 動 。 習 拋 下 的 八 字 真 言 , 「 通 情 達 理 , 團 結 高 效 」 , 惹 來 各 種 詮 釋 。 是 特 首 對 民 生 不 夠 通 情 , 還 是 對 民 建 聯 交 情 還 不 夠 通 透 ? 是 鑽 基 本 法 空 子 不 達 理 , 還 是 與 立 會 不 能 以 理 服 人 ? 是 團 結 不 到 泛 民 , 還 是 不 能 收 服 自 由 黨 ? 高 效 是 要 求 行 政 立 法 司 法 不 能 高 效 率 妥 協 , 還 是 指 奧 馬 宣 傳 ? 種 種 揣 測 , 一 如 風 吹 旗 動 , 最 令 人 擔 心 的 是 三 權 居 然 不 是 制 衡 而 是 合 作 , 心 的 確 不 能 不 動 蕩 如 風 。 但 是 , 如 果 真 能 心 靜 , 該 立 時 體 會 到 , 校 長 對 管 治 我 們 的 小 學 生 葫 蘆
賣 甚 麼 藥 , 於 我 們 的 前 途 何 干 ? 都 是 戲 一 場 , 心 由 特 首 來 擔 , 風 吹 草 動 , 我 們 大 可 無 動 於 衷 , 心 不 動 , 靜 坐 如 老 神 在 在 。 Friday, July 11, 2008
Gladiator (2000)
An epic film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Russell Crowe. Crowe portrays General Maximus Decimus Meridius, friend of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, who is betrayed and murdered by the emperor's ambitious son, Commodus. Captured and enslaved along the outer fringes of the Roman empire, Maximus rises through the ranks of the gladiatorial arena to avenge the murder of his family and his Emperor.
The film won five Academy Awards in the 73rd Academy Awards ceremony, including Best Picture. The film's epic scope and intense battle scenes, as well as the emotional core of its performances, received much praise. The film's success may have helped to revive the sword and sandal subgenre of historical epics, such as the subsequent films Troy, 300, and Scott's own Kingdom of Heaven.
The Prestige (2006)
A 2006 period film directed by Christopher Nolan, with a screenplay adapted from Christopher Priest's 1995 World Fantasy Award-winning novel of the same name. The story follows Robert Angier and Alfred Borden, rival stage magicians in fin de siècle London. Obsessed with creating the best stage illusion, they engage in competitive one-upmanship with tragic results.
The film features Christian Bale as Alfred Borden, Hugh Jackman as Robert Angier, and David Bowie as Nikola Tesla. It also stars Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, Piper Perabo, Andy Serkis, and Rebecca Hall. The film reunites Nolan with actors Bale and Caine from Batman Begins, and returning cinematographer Wally Pfister, production designer Nathan Crowley, and film score composer David Julyan.
Priest's epistolary novel was adapted to the screen by Christopher and Jonathan Nolan using Nolan's distinctive nonlinear narrative structure. Themes of duality, obsession, sacrifice, and secrecy pervade the conflict. The film was released on October 20, 2006, receiving good reviews and strong box office results, and obtained Academy Award nominations for Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction. Along with The Illusionist and Scoop, The Prestige was one of three films in 2006 to explore the world of stage magicians.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
I'm Not There (2007)
A biographical film directed by Todd Haynes and inspired by the life of iconic singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. It depicts six distinct stages of Dylan's life and public persona portrayed by an ensemble cast of actors: Marcus Carl Franklin, Ben Whishaw, Heath Ledger, Christian Bale, Richard Gere, and Cate Blanchett, who play characters based on Dylan but with different names.
The film tells its story using non-traditional techniques, similar to the poetic narrative style of Dylan's songwriting. It takes its name from the Dylan outtake "I'm Not There", a song never officially released until its appearance on the film's official soundtrack album. Critically acclaimed, I'm Not There made many top ten film lists for 2007, topping the lists for The Village Voice, Entertainment Weekly, Salon and The Boston Globe.
The film intercuts stories featuring different actors playing characters based on the life or the legend of Bob Dylan. Marcus Carl Franklin, a young black actor, plays a version of the 11-year old Dylan, who calls himself "Woody Guthrie" and escapes from a juvenile correction center by hitching a ride on a train, carrying a guitar case labeled "This Machine Kills Fascists" (as did the real Woody Guthrie's guitar). Christian Bale plays Jack Rollins, a version of Dylan as a young folk singer with a political conscience, and who later becomes "Pastor John," a version of Dylan the born again Christian, here singing gospel songs in a small town church. Cate Blanchett plays Jude Quinn, a version of Dylan at the height of his fame in the 1960s, when his original fan base was rejecting him as a sell-out. Ben Whishaw plays a version of Dylan as a young rebel who calls himself after the poet Arthur Rimbaud. Heath Ledger plays a character named Robbie Clark, a fictional Hollywood actor presented as best known for his performance in a film about Jack Rollins (the character played by Bale); he also represents Dylan the divorcé, estranged from his wife Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg). Richard Gere plays the elderly Dylan as an aging Billy the Kid in a surreal Wild West town, who defeats an even more elderly Pat Garrett (played by Bruce Greenwood).
The storylines are shot in different film stocks and styles. The scenes featuring Woody Guthrie, Robbie Clark and Billy the Kid are in color. The scenes involving Jack Rollins/Pastor John are shot on 16mm color stock, and are framed as a documentary with interviews from people who knew him describing his transformation. Jude Quinn's scenes are in black and white, and use surreal imagery based on those in Federico Fellini's 8½ (1962). Arthur Rimbaud's scenes are shot on very grainy black and white stock.
Dylan已高齡六十有六,為何遲至今日,事蹟才被搬上大銀幕?原因無他,Dylan之小心謹慎也。Dylan謎樣的一生,張力與影響力兼具,就連虛構的故事也極難尋得一疊同等精彩的劇本。因此,過去十餘年來,好萊塢奉上大把銀子以求授權,或修改了無數次的本子等著Dylan點頭,均是家常便飯。Dylan此次親自「認證」了I'm Not There的籌拍計畫,向劇組獻上祝福,無疑說明了Todd Haynes帶給Dylan的信賴感。
當然,親獲Dylan首肯,不代表結果必能佳美。去年一齣由編舞名家Twyla Tharp監製,大量使用了Dylan曲子的音樂劇The Times They Are A-Changin',雖由Dylan欽點,卻在紐約百老匯映演三週之後因劣評如潮而匆促下檔,頗為難堪。我們有理由相信I'm Not There不會重蹈覆轍嗎?有的。
此片並不是另一部Ray、Walk the Line或The Doors,相反地,它完全顛覆了傳統樂手傳記片的公式,大膽採用了六名性別、年齡、膚色都不同的演員,來詮釋Dylan生涯之不同階段。
Todd Haynes受訪時指出,打從I'm Not There還在醞釀之時,他已完全跳脫了傳統傳記電影的思考模式。既然搖滾史上沒有任何單一樂手能與Dylan相較生涯之變化多端、氣象萬千與難以預測,何不乾脆放手一搏,替搖滾傳記片打造一座嶄新的里程碑。於是他找來一份頂級的(A-List)演員清單,以Christian Bale(Batman Begins、The Prestige)飾演Freewheelin' 時期的Dylan(Christian Bale同時也飾演了生涯中期,探索宗教與福音樂曲的Dylan,全片份量吃重),Richard Gere飾演了消失在公眾目光之時的Dylan,年輕黑人男童星Marcus Carl Franklin飾演少年時的Dylan,而Heath Ledger(Brokeback Mountain)與Ben Whishaw(Perfume: The Story of a Murderer)也分別皆有吃重的角色。
但最教人屏息以待的,卻是澳洲女星Cate Blanchett也於劇中軋上一角。她的中性扮相一出,不論墨鏡、鳥巢頭或滿臉睥睨神韻,簡直就是如假包換的Dylan化身。而邀來David Cross、Charlotte Gainsbourg與Julianne Moore飾演配角,均為一時之選。
雖說High Fidelity、Almost Famous與Trainspotting這三部電影的原聲帶,列為我荒島順位前三名是不成問題的,然而這張雙CD、花了兩年時間編彙,動用近四十名樂手通力完成的I'm Not There原聲帶,卻是來勢洶洶。若用二字總結 – 驚人。
還記得數年前的感人電影I Am Sam,邀來了Nick Cave、Grandaddy與Rufus Wainwright等藝人,齊心翻唱了The Beatles經典名曲。I'm Not There採行了相似手法,只是翻唱的曲目更多元,而橫跨了老中青三代、兼顧了主流與獨立品味的樂手清單,幾乎讓樂迷別無所求了。請花點時間稍加端詳一番:
"All Along the Watchtower," Eddie Vedder and the Million Dollar Bashers
"As I Went Out One Morning," Mira Billotte
"Ballad of a Thin Man," Stephen Malkmus and the Million Dollar Bashers
"Billy," Los Lobos
"Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window," the Hold Steady
"Can't Leave Her Behind," Stephen Malkmus and Lee Ranaldo
"Cold Irons Bound," Tom Verlaine and the Million Dollar Bashers
"Dark Eyes," Iron & Wine and Calexico
"Fourth Time Around," Yo La Tengo
"Goin' To Acapulco," Jim James and Calexico
"Highway 61 Revisited," Karen O and the Million Dollar Bashers
"I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine," John Doe
"I Wanna Be Your Lover," Yo La Tengo
"I'm Not There," Bob Dylan
"I'm Not There," Sonic Youth
"Just Like a Woman," Charlotte Gainsbourg and Calexico
"Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues," Ramblin' Jack Elliot
"Knockin' on Heaven's Door," Antony & the Johnsons
"The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll," Mason Jennings
"Maggie's Farm," Stephen Malkmus and the Million Dollar Bashers
"Mama You've Been on My Mind," Jack Johnson
"The Man in the Long Black Coat," Mark Lanegan
"Moonshiner," Bob Forrest
"One More Cup of Coffee," Roger McGuinn and Calexico
"Pressing On," John Doe
"Ring Them Bells," Sufjan Stevens
"Señor (Tales of Yankee Power)," Willie Nelson and Calexico
"Simple Twist of Fate," Jeff Tweedy
"Stuck Inside of Mobile With Memphis Blues Again," Cat Power
"The Times They Are a Changin'," Mason Jennings
"Tombstone Blues," Richie Havens
"When The Ship Comes In," Marcus Carl Franklin
"Wicked Messenger," the Black Keys
"You Ain't Goin 'Nowhere," Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova
不但Pavement、Yeah Yeah Yeahs、My Morning Jacket、Pearl Jam、Television與Wilco之樂隊主唱全數入列,Jeff Tweedy翻唱的更是我相當喜愛的Simple Twist of Fate。而獨立唱作人之一王一后Sufjan Stevens與Cat Power,甚有特色的個人樂手Charlotte Gainsbourg、Antony與Mason Jennings(與Dylan同為明尼蘇達老鄉),或Yo La Tengo、Calexico、Iron & Wine與Hold Steady也無一不漏。老將方面則有Willie Nelson與Dylan的多年好友Ramblin' Jack Elliott等人撐場。
可別以為就這樣了。對我來說,這份不可思議的原聲帶至少還有三項觀戰焦點。其一,今年口碑高昂的話題電影Once之男女主角Glen Hansard與Marketa Irglova,共同翻唱了You Ain't Goin 'Nowhere一曲。其二,當初錄製Velvet Goldmine原聲帶時,曾以Radiohead之Thom Yorke與Jonny Greenwood、Suede之Bernard Butler與Roxy Music之Andy Mackay等人,組成了Venus In Furs這組暫時性的超級樂隊(團名當然來自那首Velvet Underground名曲)。此次,Todd Haynes故技重施,原聲帶中那款無所不在的The Million Dollar Bashers(或稱I'm Not There House Band),組成份子包含了Sonic Youth之Lee Ranaldo與Steve Shelley,Wilco之Nels Cline,Television之Tom Verlaine,爵士鍵盤手John Medeski與Dylan御用貝斯手Tony Garnier等人,專替落單的樂手伴奏。
最終,那首電影以之為名,出自Dylan著名之The Basement Tapes Sessions的同名歌曲I'm Not There,將於原聲帶中首次做官方發行(The Basement Tapes當時並未收錄此曲),而Sonic Youth(啊,終於提到重點了)也於原聲帶翻唱了同一首歌。到時兩曲交相對照、聆賞,想必是樂趣無窮。
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
三本好書帶你睇大自然
直 升 機 快 艇 近 距 拍 攝
郊 野 公 園 之 友 會 主 席 詹 志 勇
授 表 示 , 今 年 推 出 10 本 有 關 香 港 各 處 自 然 風 貌 的 書 籍 , 全 部 都 獲 得 新 渡 輪 及 新 創 建 等 機 構 贊 助 , 書 本 得 以 維 持 精 美 印 刷 , 售 價 更 可 降 至 38 至 60 元 。 所 有 書 籍 均 會 在 今 個 月 23 日 在 會 展 中 心 舉 行 的 香 港 書 展 中 有 售 , 屆 時 將 會 為 讀 者 提 供 折 扣 優 惠 。
其 中 以 中 、 英 、 日 3 種 語 言 介 紹 香 港 12 條 賞 石 路 線 的 《 地 標 遊 蹤 》 , 讓 讀 者 得 知 香 港 珍 貴 的 地 質 景 貌 , 原 來 是 遠 在 天 邊 近 在 眼 前 , 書 中 大 部 份 圖 片 更 以 直 升 機 在 高 空 , 或 用 快 艇 作 近 距 離 拍 攝 。 輯 錄 港 人 郊 遊 經 驗 的 《 行 行 走 走 》 , 則 提 供 了 到 大 帽 山 欣 賞 螢 火 蟲 或 到 萬 宜 水 庫 觀 星 共 百 種 獨 特 路 線 。 由 詹 志 勇
授 執 筆 的 《 圖 說 機 本 2- 自 然 界 的 老 大 哥 》 便 介 紹 了 歷 經 數 百 年 的 冠 軍 樹 , 宣 揚 存 護 及 保 育 訊 息
Monday, July 7, 2008
Miss Potter (2006)
A Chris Noonan film. It is a biopic of children's author and illustrator Beatrix Potter, and combines stories from her own life with animated sequences featuring characters from her stories, such as Peter Rabbit.
Scripted by Richard Maltby, Jr., the director of the Tony-winning Broadway revue, Fosse, the film stars Renée Zellweger in the title role; Ewan McGregor as her publisher and fiancé, Norman Warne; and Lloyd Owen as solicitor William Heelis. Emily Watson stars as Warne's sister, Millie. Lucy Boynton also stars as the young Beatrix Potter.
Early buzz was overall positive by those few who had been able to see the film during numerous sneak preview showings, but occasionally sprinkled with discussions regarding some of the historical inaccuracies in the film. There also have been both praise and criticism of the casting of this important figure in British literature with American actress Zellweger. These discussions are reminiscent of the initial uproar when Zellweger was cast in the British film role of Bridget Jones, which was developed into a sequel. Zellweger previously had co-starred with McGregor in the 2003 film Down with Love.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007)
The film is set in Communist Romania in the final years of the Nicolae Ceauşescu era. It tells the story of two students, roommates in the university dormitory, who try to arrange an illegal abortion.
After making its worldwide debut at Cannes, the film made its Romanian debut on June 1, 2007, at the Transilvania International Film Festival
被喻為羅馬尼亞電影史上最傑出的《4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days》,用超寫實的手法敘述了一段非法墮胎的故事。
《4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days》的故事背景發生在八零年代,距離羅馬尼亞的共產政權瓦解前不久。為了協助室友墮胎,女主角找來了一位地下醫生,在一間廉價旅館談價、交易、進行墮胎手術。片名指的是要墮胎的女孩已經懷孕了多久。
故事基本上就這樣,全部的故事也就是半天之內發生的事,鋪陳相當簡單,看不到一點花俏的地方。
《4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days》在去年的坎城影展獲得了包括金棕櫚獎的三大獎,在國際間也已經獲得了一打以上的電影獎項.
The Mist (2007)
Aka Stephen King's The Mist), is a 2007 American horror film based on the 1980 novella The Mist by Stephen King. The film is written and directed by Frank Darabont, who had previously adapted Stephen King's work and had been interested in adapting The Mist for the big screen since the 1980s. The director revised the ending of the film to be darker than the novella's ending, a change to which Stephen King was amicable. Unique creature designs were also sought to differ from creatures in past films.
Friday, July 4, 2008
He Was a Quiet Man (2007)
Drama film, written and directed by Frank Cappello. The film stars Christian Slater, Elisha Cuthbert and William H. Macy.
一開始純粹是被海報上神情倉皇無助、以通勤上班族緊抱公事包的方式抱著炸彈的怪叔叔所吸引。Apple Trailer上的放映日期是08年2月,怪的是美國已可以租到DVD了,看來這是一部小規模上映的電影,不知什麼緣故又重新上映。
自編自導的Frank A. Cappello受訪時說靈感來自於平日看新聞,只要採訪到校園或辦公室槍擊案兇手的鄰居朋友時,多半都說:「他是個安靜的人」。Cappello以黑色幽默的手法,放大這些潛在兇手被周遭環境排斥、隔離的困境。他們或許不起眼,不善表達,偶爾帶些怪異的舉止,但並非每一個槍手都是天性冷血兇殘,而是旁人的漠視與暴力(肢體或言語)觸動了他們心頭的板機。
Cuthbert跟飾演公司老闆的William H. Macy表現都不錯,但是真正讓這部片昇華的演員的絕對是Slater!套句美國網友的評論,Slater好像「消失」在Bob這個角色裡,這是對一名演員最大的恭維。化妝術讓Bob看起來丁點兒不像Slater,但就算你試圖穿透暴牙、禿頭、厚鏡片,你還是只看見一個唯唯諾諾、可憐兮兮的Bob。不少明星嘗試裝醜或是改變身形證明自己演技上的突破,但往往最後觀眾得到的印象依舊是個斧鑿太深,頂多就是演技大有突破的「某某人」。
預告片後半段出現的配樂「For You」(這首跟下面那首,導演都是共同創作者,真多才多藝)是特地為本片寫的,也在正片裡出現。
導演的Blog裡有這首歌可以下載:
http://www.fcappello.com/music/for_you.mp3
或是去另一作曲者的Blog可以試聽部份原聲帶曲目,另外推薦「You and I」:
http://myspace.com/robertcosio
{from http://matthewscudder.blogspot.com/2008/01/he-was-quiet-man.html}
Funny Games (2008)
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Strawberry Shortcakes (2006)
A Japanese film by director Hitoshi Yazaki. The film, based on the Japanese manga of the same name by Kiriko Nananan, concerns the life of four girls, as they deal with their own insecurities while living in the metropolis of Tokyo.
值得一看的電影。淡淡的感覺,平靜的敍述。
不是大喜大悲,或懸念迭起,或莫名無厘~它是一部看很多遍都沒有關係的片子。因為有些片子的內容太過悲傷或太過幼稚的話,一般都不會有勇氣或興趣再看第二遍。 然而真正懂得女孩子心裏那些複雜而微妙滋味的人,看著看著便喜歡上了.
雖然裏頭不時出現怪異的場景,可大概是因為出現在日本電影裏的緣故,在棺材中入睡,下班回家經過墳地,把撿來的石頭當作神. 這些都絲毫不讓人覺得彆扭,相反,非常的真實.
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)
The 2007 science fiction film sequel to 2004's Alien vs. Predator. Filming began on September 25, 2006 in Vancouver with the Brothers Strause (Colin and Greg) directing the movie based on a screenplay by Shane Salerno.



































































