2007-03-30

影畫絮語 - 愛在遙遠的附近 The Painted Veil


影畫絮語節目內容 (www.mov-reviews.com):

動人的演繹、富詩意的影像、淒美的配樂 … …《愛在遙遠的附近》細說著似遠還近的愛。主持更推介迪士尼收購PIXAR後推出的首部作品《羅拔神奇家族》。

故事簡介:

20年代倫敦,一心只求擠身上流社會的虛榮女子Kitty,甘願選擇一段沒有愛情的婚姻,下嫁細菌學家 Walter,婚後隨夫移居上海,然而難耐寂寞,旋即搭上英國外交官背夫偷情。面對不忠妻子,Walter毅然決定舉家前往霍亂肆虐的農鄉行醫,作為對她的最大懲罰。浮世紛擾,每天與死亡和絕望擦身而過,夫妻倆卻發現了另一片天地,在遙遠的異鄉第一次走近對方……

金像提名男星、曾參演《搏擊會》(Fight Club) 的愛德華諾頓 (Edward Norton),聯同金像提名女星、《King Kong》女主角娜奧美禾絲 (Naomi Watts),再度向奧斯卡進發,深情演繹改編自英國著名作家毛姆 (W. Somerset Maugham) 的同名經典鉅作《The Painted Veil》,一個大時代跨國界的動人愛情故事。男女主角對《費城故事》(Philadelphia) 金像提名編劇 Ron Nyswaner的劇本一見傾心,不惜遠赴北京、桂林拍攝外景,更雙雙出任監製,可見他們對這部精心力作的投入和信心。

對香港觀眾來說,最矚目是我們的影帝黃秋生,憑《無間道》備受本片導演John Curran賞識,獲邀在片中擔演中國將軍,首度進軍荷里活,精湛演技更令導演為他修改劇本加重戲份。憑《陽光燦爛的日子》榮獲威尼斯影帝及金馬獎影帝的內地年青男星夏雨亦有份參演,同時邀得來自中國的國際超級名模呂燕客串演出,電影原聲音樂更請來著名年青鋼琴家郎朗演奏。中外星光雲集,演繹一部盪氣迴腸的文藝鉅作,如此陣容難得一見!

影片短評:

http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/kenji-chan/article?mid=271&prev=317&next=222 Kenji Chan

英國人的故事,中國人的愛情觀;當愛和責任已經融為一體,就算是瘟疫和時間再不是問題。這就是我相信的愛情!著名創作人 林一峰

愛一個不愛自己的人,原來是懲罰自己;罰一個自己所愛的人,原來也是懲罰自己!「愛在遙遠的附近」:愛與罰之間的淒美。資深心理治療師,作家,中大校外進修學院講師 周柬妮

融合中華樸實和西方典雅,含蓄的感情在他方爆發,毫不扭拎情感表白,令觀眾感受到亂世情的真意。男女主角收放自如,Naomi Watts實在太似妮歌潔曼,無論造型,氣質,甚至刻意求工的演繹。影評人己駿

明白愛情可以不是由一見鍾情開始,特別喜歡《愛在遙遠的附近》對白的精緻,感情的真摯!《突然獨身》作家葉志偉

以外國人在中國的角度和鏡頭,拍攝得出奇的美,畫面富詩意劇情感人。李力持

鳴謝: Intercontinental Film Distributors (H.K.) Ltd.


2007-03-21

魔間迷宮 Pan's Labyrinth VS 竊聽者 The Lives of Others

Pan's Labyrinth, the winner of three Academy Awards including Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction and Best Makeup, is set in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War. In 1944, widowed Carmen moves with her young daughter Ofelia into the house of her new husband, a cruel fascist captain named Vidal. Finding her new life hard to bear, Ofelia seeks refuge in a mysterious labyrinth and encounters Pan (a faun), the half-man, half-goat creature of mythology, who tells her she is actually a long-lost princess of a magical kingdom beneath the earth. However, in order to make her way back and be reunited with her true family, she must accomplish three tasks…

Guillermo del Toro, Director of Pan's Labyrinth, says, "I've always preferred genres to be mixed. For me, Pan's Labyrinth is therefore a drama rooted in a context of war, with mythological elements grafted on." Hardly can we find a political drama in the guise of a fairy tale. It is simply an original and subtle mixture of fantasy, horror, history and drama. The main themes of the movie are as follows.

1. Cruel reality VS Magical world

The real world is much scarier than the underground fairy kingdom. The real "monster" in the film is Captain Vidal, who cold-bloodedly murders two innocent peasants. Comparatively speaking, Pan (the only Ancient Greek god who have tasted death and is able to "panic" others), the Pale Man (whose eyes are on its hands), the giant toad (symbolizing lust) and eerie fairies are less fierce.

2. Dictatorship VS Free will

Fascism is an authoritarian regime favoring complete obedience to authority, while republicans are in pursuit of freedom. Meanwhile, Ofelia exercises her free will and makes several decisions on her own in the movie.

Capitán Vidal: You could have obeyed me!
Doctor: [his last words] But captain, to obey - just like that - for obedience's sake... without questioning… That's something only people like you do.

3. Reality VS Imagination

The brilliant ending is like an ink-blot test. Whether the ending is a tragedy or not depends on your own interpretation. Audiences are advised to pay attention to the magic chalk, the mandrake root, the narrator, the story books, Ofelia's reaction while meeting Pan, the moving walls in the labyrinth, the fairies transforming themselves from praying mantises, etc. A detailed discussion can be found in the following website. Indeed, the director believes the fairies in the movie are real, but he also agrees with those believing those monsters are just imagined by the desperate girl who is eager to escape from the traumatizing reality. Two interpretations also make sense, which makes the ending an unforgettable one.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/vine/showthread.php?t=525571

http://www.twitchfilm.net/archives/008507.html (Director's words)

As there are some violent scenes in the movie, parents are advised not to see the movie with their children and they should bear in mind that it is much different from Harry Potter. As an adult dreamer, I was fascinated by the two-edged ending, symbolic images, astonishing visuals and mesmerizing music. The lullaby hummed throughout the film adds melancholy to this darkly disturbing, but deeply affecting mixture of different genres. I give this movie 4 stars out of 5.

______________________________________________________________________________

Although The Lives of Others won Best Foreign Film at the 79th Academy Awards, I personally prefer Pan's Labyrinth to The Lives of Others. I do agree The Lives of Others is beautifully shot and original. However, the change in the secret police is not convincing. HGW used to be very loyal to his country. However, why does he suddenly feel pity for the writer and his wife? Some movie lovers also claim that "主角突然這麼有人性的描寫不足" & "主角由左變右心理掙扎唔算多". Apart from this, it is unlikely for the writer to find HGW XX/7 in the end. The ending sounds unbelievable. What do you guys think? Which movie do you prefer?

魔間迷宮

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pans_labyrinth

95.3% of the reviews are positive - 162 positive reviews VS 8 negative reviews

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0457430/

IMBD user rating: 8.5 out of 10 (33836 votes)

 

竊聽者

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_lives_of_others

93% of the reviews are positive - 104 positive reviews VS 6 negative reviews

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0405094/

IMBD user rating: 8.5 out of 10 (7387 votes)


2007-03-18

我最喜愛的電影對白



Dear all,   

Time for CHIT-CHAT!!! Here are some of the memorable quotes in my favourite movies.
Welcome to share yours and you may find this website useful!
http://www.imdb.com
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Brokeback Mountain - If you cannot fix it, you have to stand it.

Little Miss Sunshine - A real loser is someone who is so afraid of not winning that he doesn't even try!

V for Vendetta - Artists use lies to tell the truth, while politicians use them to cover the truth up.

Drew Barrymore - If you don't take risks, you'll have a wasted soul.

Sleepless in Seattle -
Co-Worker: It's easier to be killed by a terrorist than it is to find a husband over the age of 40!
Annie: That statistic is not true!
Becky: That's right. It's not true, but it feels true.

The Holiday -
Iris: It doesn't matter how many new haircuts you get, or gyms you join, or how many glasses of chardonnay you drink with your friends... you still go to bed every night going over every detail and wonder what you did wrong or how you could have misunderstood and how in the hell for that brief moment you could think that you were that happy. And sometimes you can even convince yourself that he'll see the light and show up at your door. And after all that, however long all that may be, you'll go somewhere new and you'll meet people who make you feel worthwhile again. And little peices of your soul will finally come back. And all that fuzzy stuff, those years of your life that you wasted... will eventually begin to fade.

盲井 - 中國什麼都缺,就是不缺人

八月的故事 - 玉意 : 有些東西,我一個人記住就夠了 . . . . . . . .

2007-03-14

影畫絮語 - 硫磺島戰書 Letters from Iwo Jima

影畫絮語: www.mov-reviews.com

節目內容:
在硫磺島漆黑的土壤上,染滿了無數死傷者紅色的鮮血 … …《硫磺島戰書》
不煽情地從人性出發探討戰爭的意義,主持人心情沈重。

故事簡介:
1944年5月,被派駐硫磺島的日本軍人,都知道他們不會再有機會回家。他們當中包括一等兵西鄉(二宮和也 飾),一位只想看看新生女兒容貌的麵包師傅;西竹一中佐(伊原剛志 飾),一位世界知名的奧運馬術冠軍;上等兵清水洋一(加瀨亮 飾),一位曾任職軍事警察(憲兵)的年青理想主義者;還有伊藤大尉(中村獅童 飾),一位寧可切腹自盡也誓死不肯投降的嚴肅軍人。在當地指揮駐守日軍大局的長官,就是栗林忠道陸軍中將(渡邊謙 飾)。曾在美國留學的他,深知這場戰爭肯定沒有機會獲勝,不過親身在西方生活的經歷,令他能對即將入侵硫磺島的美軍作出更堅固的防衛佈署。美軍原本只打算用五天攻克面積只有台北市十分之一大小的硫磺島,不過因為栗林中將和日軍寧死不降的戰意,令這戰役變成一場長達四十天的血腥拉鋸戰。差不多七千名美軍在硫磺島陣亡,日軍方面則有超過二萬名士兵喪命。散落在那裡的封封家書,記載了士兵們深刻動人的情懷。

影片短評:
Letters from Iwo Jima is a beautiful and meaningful movie whispering the horros of war and the positive qualities possessed by some Japanese soldiers. It is also an intelligent combination of entertaining war scenes and artistic depiction of how Japanese soldiers who were on the verge of death felt. The heavy ending and touching music left me speechless when I left the cinema... What is a life worth? Just a bullet? This haunting movie is highly recommended!I give this movie 4 stars out of 5.

在當地指揮駐守日軍大局的長官,就是栗林忠道陸軍中將(渡邊謙 飾)。

西竹一中佐(伊原剛志 飾),一位世界知名的奧運馬術冠軍。

伊藤大尉(中村獅童 飾),一位寧可切腹自盡也誓死不肯投降的嚴肅軍人。


上等兵清水洋一(加瀨亮 飾),一位曾任職軍事警察(憲兵)的年青理想主義者。




一等兵西鄉(二宮和也 飾),一位只想看看新生女兒容貌的麵包師傅。

導演 : 奇連依士活


2007-03-04

影畫絮語 (Move Thee Reviews) 正式啟播

 

 
www.mov-reviews.com

影畫絮語是一個網上播放的電影節目,由三位熱衷於電影及網上電台廣播的業餘人士成立,以推廣電影藝術為目標。節目於二零零七年三月啟播,以非牟利方式運作,沒有任何政治背景及立場。除了電影評論及「走漏眼」舊片推介外,更會加入不少和電影有關的資訊,希望為聽眾提供全面的電影情報。電影除了是一種娛樂之外,亦是一門藝術、一門學問。一班電影發燒友同你腦力激盪,自我反思,細味電影背後的信息,讓我們以不同的角度去欣賞電影吧!______________________________________________________

Dear all,

I agree with Drew Barrymore. "If you don't take risks, you'll have a wasted soul." Hosting an online radio programme on movies is one of my dreams. It sounds impossible, but I have eventually achieved it and would like to formally announce the opening of the website.  

It is exciting to know that more and more movie lovers visit my blog ! Besides, I am currently a movie reviewer for the Hong Kong Film Critics Association and Cinespot. We have also successfully solicited free movie tickets from three movie distributors.  I would like to express my gratitude to Intercontinental Film Distributors (H.K.) Ltd., Golden Scene Co. Ltd. and Warner Bros. (F. E.), Inc. for their support. I also want to thank Gavin and Sam for doing much to make the website a reality.

Anyway, we fully enjoy the process and need your support. I hope that our reviews can move thee! I am looking forward to watching more good movies and sharing our comments with more movie lovers.

Cheers,
Kenji Chan

http://www.mov-reviews.com (Move Thee Reviews 影畫絮語 )
http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/kenji-chan (Kenji's Blog)
http://www.cinespot.com/eindex.html (Cinespot)
http://www.cinespot.com/eaboutus.html (Cinespot)
http://www.hkfca.org/review_thisweek.php (The Hong Kong Film Critics Association)

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