10/24/2011

Parallel universe

我最愛的就是能夠觸動心靈的事情。
過去兩個週末都看了讓我感動的作品。
那不僅是一般的感動,而是很愛很愛。兩部影片都讓我在看完之後,過了幾天還繼續留戀着。
興奮得最近幾天每遇到有同感的朋友便不禁滔滔不絕地討論起來,開始連自己也覺得自己有夠煩。
我想把我對這兩部作品的所思所想記錄下來。是時候停止回味,好好溫習和找別的話題談。



很少看電視。
在一個星期裏唯一會正正經經坐下來看一個多小時電視的就只有週日到嫲嫲家吃晚飯的時間。
我覺得星期天晚上六點多到八點這個時段的電視節目通常較有觀看價值,所以看這個份量對我來說已經很足夠,
否則我又會嫌這嫌那的批評那些不知所謂的節目。

那個星期天看到港台這個全新節目的第一集。
最初出現在螢幕上的是周仔(!),還以為他是片中的男主角。
之後才發現男女主角分別是很久沒看過的楊淇和陌生的表弟盧鎮業。
兩人的演技太好,對白一流,加上麥曦茵導演的鏡頭下一切都顯得多麼美。
我在飯桌上邊吃着餸,邊緊盯電視,這情況真罕有。
有親戚說,結局怎可能如此美好,現實中根本沒可能有這樣一個會負責任的男生。
但這並沒有影響我對這段影片的喜愛。
這個世界無奇不有,壞的人和事遍地都是。
但理想化的我總覺得好的人事也有很多,我堅信這世上有像表弟一樣有承擔的好男孩。
反正就是拍戲,也無需過分執著與考究其內容與現實的落差吧。我比較珍惜這段影片所帶給我的溫暖。
很久沒有在電視機前感到這般甜甜的,很滿足。



剛過去的星期六,跟一大班好友到戲院看<那些年,我們一起追的女孩>。
相比其他朋友,我算是對這齣電影最沒有甚麼期待的一個。
我沒有看過原著(一直想向朋友借,但朋友手中的書也不是自己的,買了書的朋友又借別人),
由暑假期間至最近幾星期的報章雜誌訪問和介紹全都沒看,
社交網站上瘋傳的預告片,音樂錄像,還有傳媒優先場的觀後感我一律避開不看。
那麼我為何想看<那些年>?
大概是因為以往台灣的小品電影都給我很好的印象,
看過的<藍色大門>、<盛夏光年>、<最遙遠的距離>、<戀愛地圖>都是令我一看難忘的電影,
感覺上<那些年>也會是這種有質素的製作(主觀得要死),便跟朋友們一起去看。

向來對太有noise的事情不太感興趣,覺得許多人都只不過是人云亦云,所以我對大家不斷的「推推推推推」沒有怎樣理會。
好了,電影看完了,太好看了!才覺得幾個月來身邊所有熱烈討論都是值得的。

其實要猜故事的內容甚至結局並不難,就是中學生活和初戀,兩小無猜無法一起走到永遠呀。
這種題材屢見不鮮,本地和國外有無數電影都是關於青春,賣情懷。
要突圍而出,便要從表達手法着手。這就是<那些年>抓得漂亮的部分。
主線當然是柯騰與沈佳宜的浪漫愛情故事,而支線就有柯騰跟幾個兄弟們的手足之情。
男女主角刻劃細緻是基本,但能令一眾配角都有如此鮮明的形象,刀大應記一功。
電影中穿插着含蓄細膩和開放狂野的情節,取了恰當的平衡,讓整體不致於太平凡呆板,又不會顯得太色情。
讓觀眾能夠享受戲中的每一幕,有大笑的,有落淚的,有邊哭邊笑的,更有讓人大聲鼓掌的。
這確是個很罕有而且很深刻的觀看電影的體會。
肯定的是我會買一本原著小說給自己收藏,也必定會購買DVD翻看無限次。

<那些年>跟我之前看過的台灣電影最大的區別,是它的簡單和輕鬆。
雖然如此,但它拍得一點也不爛。
雖然它很陽光,但我看畢後也會感到心疼疼的。

在九把刀的blog看到這段前導短片,沒有花巧技倆卻一樣窩心:


想不到<幸福的旁邊>在一週間引起了這麼大的迴響,YouTube上的hit rate在短短幾天已超過四十萬。
受歡迎的程度能媲美<那些年>呢,至少在過去這個星期。
所以說,香港還是有好的導演,好的製作班底和好的演員,能夠拍出讓人有所得着的電影呀。
我們也無需眼紅人家台灣。多點關注和支持本地的創作就是了,好東西其實就在我們左近。

最後一提,我想到了為何看完兩部影片後都難以抽離,是因為它們的配樂和主題曲!
負責製作soundtrack的人,厲害!這幾天腦海裏不停重覆着那些旋律和歌詞呢。

Watch & Listen:
幸福的旁邊 
擁抱 - 曹震豪 (幸福的旁邊 插曲)
那些年 - 胡夏 (那些年,我們一起追的女孩 電影主題曲)

10/19/2011

Bedtime story

A Choice of Three; a short story written and read by Alex Turner

In the tunnel, I noticed I had a choice of three. 
While I thought it very kind of them to offer me this, I do wonder if they realise what a dilemma they were sending to face me.
The trouble was if I looked at your reflection in the left window I missed the actual image of you and your reflection in the right.
And if I looked at the right I had the same problem but the other way around.
At first I thought I should probably settle on one of the mirrors as they were soon to disappear, but that idea quickly wilted and my attention was drawn back to the center, occasionally checking on either side.


I must say I did question the authenticity of your nap a few minutes before.
As the train left Loughborough I suspected it could have been a device to avoid conversation.
I’d barely considered this for a moment, however, when a heavy breath and a gulping sound that I decided would be too embarrassing to fake led me to conclude that your nap wasn’t fraudulent.
I found it difficult to concentrate on anything else as you slumped beneath your coat.


Delighted that we’d waited until this hour to travel so the evening sun got its opportunity to skip across those sleeping cheeks, but unnerved by the prospect of being removed from the opposing chair to yours.
I knew it was reserved, but hoped that whoever had reserved it had fallen over.
It looked as if today I’d be safe; the train wasn’t too busy, but I did take a moment to recall a time when I was less fortunate.


I remembered it with a chilling vividity we were on the way to Brighton.
I knew it was going to be his seat as soon as I saw him on the platform unzipping, checking, zipping, and re-checking things.
Something about his face suggested that he had for years had a moustache and had not long since removed it.
He wasn’t going to think twice about disposing of me, especially considering then he’d get the chance to sit with you.
Though his hiking boot-march through the carriage was rather revolting, it wasn’t this that made my hands tense up into sour claws of nausea.
It was the way he said it. “You’re in my seat.” No “excuse me,” no polite uncertainty, just the rigid, hideous fact.
The thud with which it landed expelled all my preparation.
Before I remembered my plans to pretend to be asleep, deaf, French, or only sat there because someone else was in my seat, I was walking to find another vacancy.
I ended up dwelling unhappily beside a girl with a boys bum.
I knew that because she walked too far past when she returned to one of what I thought to be two empty seats when I sat myself there.
I fidgeted until our reunion on the platform, where you brutally informed me “That man was really rather pleasant, actually.”


Today I thought I’d better make sure that couldn’t happen again and I pulled the ticket from the top of my seat.
It took a few attempts and the facade of hanging a jacket to finally complete.
I was terribly cautious.
There’s a threat of punishment for such deeds by fine as far as I understand, but those shackles were at the back of my mind as I crushed the reservation in my hidden fist.
Folding and squeezing as if it were that beast on the way to the seaside.
Fortunately, there was no retribution.
If anything the train got quieter as the journey continued.
And so in the tunnel, unable to decide, my head flicked through this trilogy of angles, angel after angle, until we were out the other side.
My frantic twitching no doubt caused the man at the adjacent table to narrow his eyes at the very least, I imagine.
I don’t know for sure.
I didn’t have time to add him to the cycle.


(A Choice of Three is a spoken word track from the album Late Night Tales: Arctic Monkeys)

10/04/2011

currently listening: 草莓救星

上月中,機緣巧合下得到Taiwan Calling呼叫音樂節的門票。我看的是第二場。
說老實話,當日除了陳珊妮和魏如萱,我從沒聽說過其餘的參與單位。
但這正正是令我想看這個音樂節的原因。
台灣的音樂,我並不太認識。
iPod的只有陳綺貞和盧廣仲。
另外一個會留意的歌手是范曉萱,我小時候喜歡她這個小魔女呀。


到呼叫音樂節,純粹想認識一下台灣的獨立樂團。
有這樣一場馬拉松式音樂會在香港舉辦,實在機會難逢。對於嚮往音樂節文化的的我來說的確是個驚喜。
那天是個很愉快的體驗。從下午到晚上,我就在許多陌生的音樂之中找尋合自己口味的旋律。
其中一項收穫是六人樂團草莓救星We Save Strawberries)。



欣賞過以下這首歌曲的現場演繹,我二話不說便買下他們的唱片。
這明顯是向The Carpenters致敬的作品。
喜歡他們並非把The End Of The World作個徹底的Cover,而是來個重新包裝,令它變得多麼悽美。
既有樂隊的風格元素,又能令聽者這想起這首經典,這種感覺很特別。