2006-04-30

觀影讀書流水賬 30/4

觀影:
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu 《Amores Perros》
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu 《21 Grams》
Walter Salles 《The Motorcycle Diaries/Diarios de Motocicleta》
Claude Chabrol 《The Flower of Evil/La Fleur du Mal》
崔允信 《憂憂愁愁的走了》
李少紅 《戀愛中的寶貝》
張元 《瘋狂英語》

----------

如果真有所謂Krzysztof Kieslowski式電影的承傳者的話,那就非Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu莫屬了。他的新作《Babel》將在今年康城影展首度亮相,故事大綱有強烈的Kieslowski感覺:

Armed with a Winchester rifle, two Morrocan boys set out to look after their family's herd of goats. In the silent echoes of the desert, they decide to test the rifle... but the bullet goes farther than they thought it would.

In an instant, the lives of four separate groups of strangers on three different continents collide. Caught up in the rising tide of an accident that escalates beyond anyone's control are a vacationing American couple, a rebellious deaf Japanese teenager and her father, and a Mexican nanny who, without permission, takes two American children across the border. None of these strangers will ever meet; in spite of the sudden, unlikely connection between them, they will all remain isolated due to their own inability to communicate meaningfully with anyone around them.

From Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu comes a film that is at once intimate and epic, shot in four countries, cast with actors and non-actors, and concludes his trilogy that started with "Amores Perros" and "21 Grams."

《Babel》的主要演員有Brad Pitt、Cate Blanchett、Gael Garcia Bernal和役所廣司。如你對Gael Garcia Bernal這名字感到有點陌生的話,他除了是《Amores Perros》中戀嫂的Octavio外,更是《The Motorcycle Diaries》裡的青年哲古華拉和《Bad Education》裡的Angel/Juan。

如對《Babel》感興趣的話,可參閱WorstPreviews網站的介紹。

----------

崔允信的《憂憂愁愁的走了》影碟買了很久,但對它信心不大,遲遲沒有觀看。看了以後,很明顯,我的憂慮是多餘的。《憂憂愁愁的走了》雖然是獨立電影,而且題旨宏大,但崔允信的功力扎實流暢,駕馭有餘。

2006-04-29

Online extortion by a trojan horse

Be warned: A new Trojan horse threatens to delete files unless the victim pays up. When activated, the Trojan horse displays some explicit images. It then shows an expletive message that demands a $10.99 payment, or it will delete one file every 30 minutes. (Trojan horse: Your money or your files, CNET News.com, 28/4/06)

OK, you probably won't be unlucky enough to be affected. But the thought that extortion and ransom could one day become common practice on the Internet is worrying. Just like living in virtual Colombia!

2006-04-24

掃墓須知

中國民政部表示,若有人在掃墓時燒"別墅"、"轎車"、"二奶"等亂七八糟的祭奠品,將會被查處。

民政部副部長竇玉沛表示:清明祭祖時一旦發現燒"別墅"、"轎車"、"二奶"等涉及封建迷信色彩的祭奠品,民政部門將會與國土、林業等相關部門對當事人予以查處和處罰!

先不論普羅百姓會否抱怨新規定。其實,單就萬千高官幹部而言,他們一生為人民服務,國家何以對他們如斯刻薄?生前的幾種一般待遇,何必死後即明令禁止享用?

2006-04-23

觀影讀書流水賬 23/4

觀影:
Nanni Moretti 《The Son's Room/La Stanza del figlio》
Stephen Frears 《Dirth Pretty Things》
James Brooks 《Spanglish》
大島渚 《御法度》
大林宣彥 《新感官世界》
北野武 《偶斷絲連》
石崗正人 《池袋色情男女》

----------

顧(譯)名思義,大林宣彥的《新感官世界》和近三十年前大島渚的《感官世界》,同是關於奇女子阿部定的電影。大島渚的作品,跟阿部定的事跡一樣,驚世駭俗。但大林宣彥的新作,則是水波不興,不痛不癢。

2006-04-21

Life is stranger than fiction: Love hurts

A man pleaded guilty in the Brisbane District Court to causing grievous bodily harm with intent to his wife.

The court was told the man arrived home early and told his wife that he had an early birthday present for her. He took her into their bedroom, laid her on the bed, tied her hands with a scarf and blindfolded her with another one and then played the romantic song I Swear on the CD player. He kissed her on the forehead and sang the last verse of the song* to her, before he jumped on her and stabbed her in the stomach.

She struggled with him and managed to hit him over the head with a perfume bottle before running out into the street and getting help from a passing postman.

The couple lived in a luxury house and she had been under the illusion that they had a happy marriage. The man - who had worked as a call centre operator - had told her he had a new job with a major bank, even going to the lengths of fabricating a letter which said he would eventually earn $200,000 a year. In fact, he lost his call centre job five days before the attack.

The motive for the attack appeared to be the unravelling of a web of lies that he had told his wife - particularly because they were due to leave for an overseas holiday which he couldn't pay for. The judge said it seemed the man had intended to stab himself but somehow came to stab his wife instead.

* For better or worse; Till death do us part; I'll love you with every beat of my heart; And I swear ...

2006-04-17

How not to behave like an "ugly American"

The US State Department has joined forces with American industry to plan an image make-over by issuing guides for Americans travelling overseas on how to behave.

Read the article (The Telegraph, 16/4/06)

Here are the "simpe suggestions":

• Think as big as you like but talk and act smaller. (In many countries, any form of boasting is considered very rude. Talking about wealth, power or status - corporate or personal - can create resentment.)

• Listen at least as much as you talk. (By all means, talk about America and your life in our country. But also ask people you're visiting about themselves and their way of life.)

• Save the lectures for your kids. (Whatever your subject of discussion, let it be a discussion not a lecture. Justified or not, the US is seen as imposing its will on the world.)

• Think a little locally. (Try to find a few topics that are important in the local popular culture. Remember, most people in the world have little or no interest in the World Series or the Super Bowl. What we call "soccer" is football everywhere else. And it's the most popular sport on the planet.)

• Slow down. (We talk fast, eat fast, move fast, live fast. Many cultures do not.)

• Speak lower and slower. (A loud voice is often perceived as bragging. A fast talker can be seen as aggressive and threatening.)

• Your religion is your religion and not necessarily theirs. (Religion is usually considered deeply personal, not a subject for public discussions.)

• If you talk politics, talk - don't argue. (Steer clear of arguments about American politics, even if someone is attacking US politicians or policies. Agree to disagree.)

2006-04-16

董陽孜書法的書與象構成



墨魂(林政逸):淺談書道中的『書』與『象』 — 談懷素自序帖.日本書風與董陽孜書法的書與象構成

作者以董陽孜八件作品來分析她的構成方法(上圖為其中之一),認為她「重視構圖而輕文字意義」,並指出「當書法已經很難如古代那樣純粹時,把書法當成線條藝術,容許他成為圖像性、設計性或通俗性,該是無法避免的結果。這樣的讓步或許可使書法不致滅絕,然而形而上之書道難求,形而下則不可廢,雖說流俗,雖說是圖像性線條藝術,基本線條功力技巧之要求是不能免的,否則許多無基本功的人也來依樣畫葫蘆,魚目混珠充大師,未來的書法面目將更扭曲,若如此倒不如讓書法滅絕,以免古賢之靈見之傷悼。」

個人認為,跟墨魂的結論相似的大有人在,有些可能只是食古不化的保守份子,衛(書)道之士。但墨魂在這篇文章中的確花了不少心血分析董陽孜書法的構成,既有理論,又有實例,值得讀而思之。

----------

觀影讀書流水賬 16/5

讀書:
Joyce Carol Oates 《The Female of the Species》
櫻井亞美 《無辜的世界》

觀影:
徐靜蕾 《一個陌生女人的來信》
鄭曉龍 《刮痧》
樸在浩 《愛的色放》
Paul Haggis 《Crash》
Doug Liman 《Mr. & Mrs. Smith》

----------

徐靜蕾作為一線女演員我認為只算中規中矩,但她年紀輕輕,導演功力卻很沈實,有大將之風。跟處女作《我和爸爸》比較,《一個陌生女人的來信》進步一日千里。兩部片子都由她和姜文領銜演出。

未曾領略Joyce Carol Oates小說魅力的,可到以下網站作初步認識:
Celestial Timepiece: A Joyce Carol Oates Home Page
Joyce Carol Oates Official Web Site from Harper Collins
Wikipedia entry on Joyce Carol Oates

酸辣湯麵



----------

2006-04-14

Temporary blog for Euro06 trip

I have just created a blog to cover my Euro06 trip. It is intended to be a temporary one and will be deleted once the trip is over and the travel web pages are created.

joetsang's Euro06 Trip

2006-04-13

So you want to be a magazine publisher in China?

Well, so did Mark Kitto. This is what he has to say:

After seven years building up a magazine empire in China, I had it stolen by the state. I lived in the grey zone that is China's media business and, despite my commitment to the country, paid a high price. ("That's China", Prospect, 04/06)

----------

Further readings:
Another That's Story (13/5/05, China Herald)
That's Magazines: A Cautionary Tale (9/5/05, Danwei)
Briton fights for rights to Chinese magazine titles (The Telegraph, 22/2/06)

與淫賤為友,視正氣如仇,那還了得!

三月初,《東方》和《太陽》姐妹報發表聯合社論,直指香港淫褻物品審裁處秉持「荒謬絕倫的標準 曖昧下流的想像」。今天,兩報再度發功,以「與淫賤為友 視正氣如仇」為題,攻擊以「眼中閃?慾火淫光的色狼」為圖騰的審裁處。

兩報的社論寫作班子,高手雲集,文中金句俯拾皆是:

犯案者和執法者日夕相對,雙方已建立了深厚情誼,所以一個願打,一個願捱,打者心痛,捱者心歡,莊嚴的法庭,竟已成為他們眉來眼去的斷背山。

香港也正是在這些人的管治下,以致淪落成一個色情汜濫、道德淪喪的妖獸都市。

這些人所提出的所謂一視同仁,並不是大公無私的表現,而是故意混淆黑白,轉移視線,他們企圖利用香港傳媒分擔個別淫賤傳媒的罪孽,將公眾對白骨精的注意力轉移到滿天神佛身上,這是我們不能同意的。因為,作惡的分明只是壹傳媒,又何來一視同仁之說呢? ... 提出對所有報章刊物「一視同仁」的人,如果不是燒壞了頭腦,就是有心圍魏救趙,擾亂公眾視聽,趁混亂間將眾矢之的、臭名昭著的壹傳媒集團救出重圍!

如看戲一樣,好戲在後頭,社論最後一段精彩百出,亢奮之極,絕非泛泛之輩所能為也:

「金猴奮起千鈞棒,玉宇澄清萬里埃」,任何魑魅魍魎,也難逃得出齊天大聖的金睛火眼,有我們這身經百戰、銅皮鐵骨的身軀擋在前面,絕不容「與淫賤為友,視正氣如仇」的人和淫賤傳媒沆瀣「壹」氣,蒙混過關!

2006-04-09

一周觀影讀書流水賬 9/4

這個星期,除了旅遊書外,未能讀完其他任何書籍。

觀影呢?一共七部。可能由於即將回港一趟,又會帶回一大箱書籍影碟,忽然想起家中其實有大量陳年倉底影碟(就是碟價超低覺得不買可惜,但又不大值得花時間看那種),故姑且盡點力清倉:

Jim Sheridan 《In America》 — 愛爾蘭移民海外辛酸故事代代皆有。這部電影的背景是七十年代的紐約。童角有突出表現。
葉偉信 《大城小事》
陳國富 《雙瞳》
李在容 《純愛譜》
柳河 《周末同床》
呂均東 《愛的軀殼》
金裕珍 《情陷卡門》

最大「收穫」,可算是見識了《大城小事》這部大爛片。在我記憶裡,沒有其他華洋電影能比《大城小事》更造作更低劣更無聊的了。編導演俱爛!他的《小白龍情海翻波》我去年在港澳長途機上看了,也是爛片一部。我對葉偉信向來不太留意,但他早前的《爆裂刑警》和《茱麗葉與梁山伯》水準尚算不俗(特別是前者),何以墮落至此?

2006-04-07

說謊能力不稱職

台灣司法院副院長兼大法官被狗仔隊偷拍他在某女士寓所停留七十分鐘後,共往汽車旅館再停留七十分鐘後離去。

他辯稱,他在她家為她解答疑問後,一同驅車往郊外透風。但半路上她肚子痛,急著如廁。他對周遭不熟,又找不到加油站可上廁所,後來發現一家汽車旅館,就開車進入,讓她如廁。而他怕她昏倒或發生意外,所以也下車進入。

事件披露後,譽論嘩然,咸認為他身為台灣政法界要人,理應訓練有素,何以說謊能力如斯低劣,僅及小學生水平!數天後,他宣佈辭職。

有評論者建議,為扭轉政府官員說謊能力江河日下的情況,總統理應即時宣佈,大幅撥款加強培訓,增強實戰經驗,並以此作為日後升遷考核重要條件。

2006-04-02

Home-made loaf



----------

一周觀影讀書流水賬 2/4

觀影:
賈樟柯 《站台》
北野武 《座頭市》 (Office Kitano)
奉俊昊 《殺人回憶》
金知雲 《姊魅情深》
Kate Shortland 《Somersault》 - 一部近年在本土極為矚目、獲獎無數、描寫成長困惑的澳洲電影。

讀書:
Irshad Manji 《The Trouble with Islam》
(Manji's official site)

----------

流水賬寫後的晚上,忽然心動,重看了Alejandro Amenabar的《The Sea Inside/Mar adentro》,依然感動。重看的是香港影碟,片末留意到字幕原來是邁克的手筆。