2011-02-15

有人喜歡藍 Blue Valentine




Love is Just Like Fireworks

With an Oscar nomination for the best leading actress, Blue Valentine is a poignant portrait of a failed marriage. It is no Revolutionary Road, which is much nosier and about a bourgeois couple. Unlike 5x2, which shows a couple’s story in reverse chronological order, Blue Valentine interweaves the happy past with the unhappy present and creates a stark and heartbreaking contrast.


The main characters are so realistic and three-dimensional that the audience will care about what happens to them. Dean is a lower-class man coming from a broken family. When young, he had dreams and never thought becoming a husband and a father could be one, but now, because of Cindy, it is. He truly loves Cindy, who is an ambitious nurse. Although she does not fancy Dean, she marries him because he is willing to take care of her baby whose father is her ex-boyfriend. After six years, she becomes dissatisfied.
Dean may be right. “Girls spend their whole life looking for Prince Charming and then they marry the guy who's got a good job and is gonna stick around.” Therefore, she keeps herself aloof from Dean, though he is good to her and her baby. It is worth noting that Cindy’s boyfriend is physically weaker than her ex-boyfriends (the doctor < Dean < Bobby), yet he has a higher social status (the doctor > Dean > Bobby) and it seems that men solve problems by resorting to violence. Besides, Cindy’s inability to form a stable romantic relationship and feelings of insecurity may be shaped by her abusive father. The three broken
families show that marriage is fragile and passion dies away. Lies, suspicion, broken promises, fights, the wreckage of dreams, etc, seem inevitable in a marriage. 


Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling, whose facial expressions, body language and remarks can effectively
convey
their pent-up emotions, give convincing and powerful performances. Thanks to the capable and charismatic cast, the audience will be dragged into a stifling whirlpool of the lifelike characters’ growing frustrations. There are several scenes of immense tension, e.g. the future room, hospital, kitchen, etc. To my
astonishment, Ryan Gosling can sing. In one of the most memorable scenes of the year, Dean sings while plucking the strings of his ukulele and Cindy tap dances, which reminds me of Once.


The music sets the right atmosphere for the film. A romantic but melancholy mood is captured in this bittersweet love story. You and Me by Penny and the Quarters and You Always Hurt the One You Love by Ryan Gosling simply blow me away.

Love is just like fireworks. They splutter, burst into dazzling sparks and go out. When passion eventually wanes, an aching emptiness reigns.

Kenji Chan: 4.3 / 5
Metacritic: 81 / 100 Universal Acclaim
Rotten Tomatoes: 89% Fresh
IMDB: 8 / 10

影評刊載於「兩岸三地影評人協會聯盟」、「動映地帶」及「IMDB」。

Ryan Gosling - You Always Hurt the One You Love

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYgr_iGATB4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR2jRFnPNWw

You always hurt the one you love
The one you shouldn't hurt at all
You always take the sweetest rose
And crush it till the petals fall

You always break the kindest heart
With a hasty word you can't recall, so
If I broke your heart last night
It's because I love you most of all

15 則留言:

  1. 這齣電影有幾幕讓我不自覺地想起 Once  故事太悲慘了,不想在情人節這種浪漫時刻介紹別人看。
    [版主回覆02/15/2011 21:06:00]Agree! But I am immune because I am a movie maniac, haha. So long as it is a good movie, I watch it whenever I am free.

    回覆刪除
  2. 原來已經上畫了。又是在情人節來一套愛情恐怖片。(星期日在無線看了《獨家試愛》, 覺得好恐怖。有時睇完呢d戲要搵番d 愛情喜劇平衡下!
    [版主回覆02/15/2011 23:08:00]RIGHT! 獨家試愛 - I saw the ending by chance. Lies, suspicion, broken
    promises, fights, the wreckage of dreams, etc, seem inevitable in a romantic relationship.

    回覆刪除
  3. 故事的確有點sad尤其囡囡因爸爸離開而哭。夫婦之間的感情能夠維繫到終老確不易。
    [版主回覆02/16/2011 18:45:00]If You Are the One 2:  To get married is always a mistake. A lasting marriage is to continue the mistake and make the best of it. Do you agree? I believe there are some good lasting marriages, but the divorce rate has been soaring these days. Whether it works or not depends on the two people.

    回覆刪除
  4. LOVE THIS ~  整套戲令人好sad,真相係浪漫不能永久,就算無第三者,一段感情時辰到就時辰到....
    我好鍾意 Ryan~~~ 佢唱歌一幕應該大部份人都會諗起"Once" ~ haha,佢上年(前年?) 有同人夾個band 出碟的!
    [版主回覆02/16/2011 18:46:00]LOVE THIS ~ yeah!!! the same here ~~~ really? Any links on Youtube?

    回覆刪除
  5. 隊 band 同隻 ablum 都叫"Dead Man's Bones",全隻碟嘅歌都同halloween 有關,幾得意的~ youtube search "Dead Man's Bones" 有成串result ^^ ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEvF7qUf2Pc&feature=related
    [版主回覆02/17/2011 20:03:00]Thanks so much. I like the music and his voice.

    回覆刪除
  6. 婚姻其實是一個很複雜的問題。我覺得以前的人對於婚姻是很認真,持久性也較大,即使大家有吵鬧或意見不同,都會嘗試退一步海闊天空,共同努力維繫兩者的關係。相反現代人看的是感覺在先,覺得離婚就是解決了問題,當初的承諾都已煙消雲散﹗所以我覺得若能成為夫妻,無論發生什麼事情都要慢慢解決﹗唉~~我又多講廢話了﹗sorry ~~
    [版主回覆02/17/2011 20:17:00]Life itself is full of challenges, let alone marriage.

    回覆刪除
  7. I wanna watch this one also. Especially after read ur own reviews!!! But on one is gonna watch this with me...poor..>< Will watch the "Black Swen" soon.... Soon when I got my another day off after 24/2 What u think about???Would u watch "Black Swen" also??
    [版主回覆02/20/2011 15:46:00]Blue Valentine is sad. Be prepared. I sometimes watch movies alone. Maybe you can buy the VCD later. Black Swan is a must see. I think it is even better than the Social Network, but of course, technically Social Network is so impressive that it may get the Oscar Best Picture. I hope Black Swan wins though.

    回覆刪除
  8. 好像好好睇~~~
    最近多左好多好戲上~
    可能就黎oscar~
    [版主回覆02/20/2011 20:12:00]Yes it is a good film. I think Ryan Gosling should be nominated as the best leading actor. It is a pity.

    回覆刪除
  9. Good comment on "Blue Valentine", will watch soon.  Thanks for sharing!
    [版主回覆02/20/2011 21:04:00]Welcome Miss Wong Wong. Welcome to come back and share with us how you feel about the movie and my review. Thanks!

    回覆刪除
  10. I love yr pictures
    [版主回覆02/23/2011 19:58:00]Thanks! They are great stills.

    回覆刪除
  11. And I agree what you say.
    [版主回覆02/23/2011 19:59:00]I am glad to know that. Thanks!

    回覆刪除
  12. It's nice to see you again, Kenji! How are you?
    I like this movie too.
    [版主回覆02/26/2011 01:44:00]Always busy, but still trying to squeeze time to update my blog. ^^

    回覆刪除
  13. 現代的婚姻更加嚇死人, 我公司有一男一女同事, 各自在外偷食, 還回來跟我講... 我真受不了他/她們...! 歸根究底...他/她們的另一半又確是有問題... !!!! 兩方都爭唔落... !!!!!
     
     
    [版主回覆03/05/2011 14:48:00]Agree, but I still believe in true love. However, it really depends on both parties, which is rare indeed.

    回覆刪除
  14. Thanks for introducing the movie! I went to watch it in cinema today. The acting performances are simply impressive! Haven't watched a realistic movie like this for long. I especially appreciate the efforts they put on different fine details. Great choice!
    [版主回覆03/06/2011 13:33:00]And also the well developed characters, thanks to the director's own experience when his parents got divorced.

    回覆刪除
  15. 我十分欣賞 michelle williams 的演出:不再愛,又不是完全不愛;想分手,又發動不到;不想拖,又無力決斷;基本上係:唔知自己想點。
     
    很難演呢!
    [版主回覆04/17/2011 00:18:00]I think she is determined to divorce him because her passion for him is long gone. Her willingness to marry him is attributed to his willingness to take care of the baby. At the very beginning, she even did not call him. By the way, Ryan Gosling's performance is Oscar worthy in my opinion. The physical and psychological changes are also noticeable.

    回覆刪除