1. The Inside Man
小K推荐过这部片子，我本来还有点犹豫，套路挺平常的，能有新意么？结果出乎意料的有趣，主要吸引我的还不是情节的扭来扭去，而是小地方到处都是Spike Lee的手印。例如，一开头就是特耳熟的宝来坞歌曲，我几乎可以肯定在哪儿听过，眼前出现了Shahru Khan扭啊扭的形象。后来一查果然是去年看过的Dil Se里面的歌。TMD，特地去找来这首歌塞这里面，不知道是什么意图，毕竟让人疑心，Dil Se的情节跟纽约人颇有间接的渊源哪。整部片子给人的感觉是This is New York。虽然俺不是NYC土著，可也是看了Law and Order多年的荣誉NYC迷，对Spike Lee的不太隐晦的暗喻不是没有感觉的－－例如结尾出好人劫匪一律绑起来扔地上一大堆，然后一个个地揪上去拍mug shots；"Give me back my turban." 那一段关于锡克族银行职员的插曲；Jody Foster的亦官亦民的地位和她对Christopher Plummer银行家最后的要挟：我岳家要买啥啥公寓，借你的名字挺一下（似乎比钱更要紧哦）。
最喜欢的地方还是smart ass对话。虽然挂名的编剧名不见经传，到处都是Spike Lee特有的油腔滑调，绝对错不了。Denzel Washington还是在他的片子里最鲜活最如鱼得水（前阵子见他在非常血腥的影片Man On Fire里主演沉默杀手型，深觉他不合适，被严重miscast）。他吃亏在长得太好，太端正，只有Spike Lee才能充分挖掘他的精彩方面。呵呵，即使把片子里的悬疑成份都除掉，只剩下耍嘴皮，我都一样看得津津有味。在这方面，Spike Lee比Quentin Tarantino更对我的胃口，因为后者有点实在太geeky了。唉，应该回去好好地发掘一下他过去的片子了。
2. Syriana.
第一感想，原来最适合演The Quiet American里面Pyle这个角色的是麻袋蒙！又有名校气质，又有美国版理想主义，又可以演阴险和狠辣的一面（Talented Mr. Ripley），可惜啊可惜。
George Clooney 为艺术牺牲增重搞丑，变成一个面目模糊的中年人，或许这才是他的本色,
3. 疯狂的石头
第一印象，好看，作者一定是Pulp Fiction的迷，本来以为只是天马行空地搞笑和讽刺，结果不是，重点在于情节的intricate。
第二印象，白博的刘偶像德华先生真TMD入错了行，成天费劲八拉地拍电影还战绩平平，简直是浪费时间，这人的本事在于制作，发掘好本子新影人支持人家拍独立小片，才是正路。
第三，我觉得演包＂探长＂的水泡眼胖子正是我喜欢的类型，如果好莱污要翻拍的话，可以找Paul Giamatti正好！
4. Perfume!
I drove ALL THE WAY to Hollywood today to watch this movie at Arclight Theater. 本来打好小算盘买一张票（贼贵）看一场Notes on a Scandal再看一场Perfume，结果他们查票查得忒严，不让串场，而且两部片子楼上楼下，根本溜无可溜。我哀求半天才放我提前进去，看了半场Letters from Iwo Jima，和整场的Perfume，好长两个半钟头。
果然是一部神乎其神的影片，结尾尤其玄得不得了，彻底给这个故事下了预言的结论。第一印象，Tom Tykwer的味道未免有点单调吧？念念不忘红头发女人哎。恨不得在红发白肤里打滚。
第二印象是在此片里演主角Grenouille很不讨好，也没什么发挥余地，恐怕还要把自己饿瘦，还要经常很傻地抽鼻子做嗅啊闻的动作。演得不好没印象，演得好会被typecast。
第三印象，用电影表现无法表现的嗅觉刺激，的确是困难，导演用尽视觉和声音的手段来传达和替代嗅觉，效果果然不错。看到一半忽然醒过味儿来－－哎，本来就是写在纸上无味无臭（xiu）的字儿嘛，根本是不可能用真实的气味来传达！用间接表达手段才对了。结尾的高潮证实了我的结论。
第四印象，这个故事难度之高，并不在于用视觉和听觉表达嗅觉刺激，而是另一个难题。是什么呢？
主角不是个讨人喜欢的人物，对话又极少，让观众不容易代入，root for him。但是这个故事又非绕着他转不可，所以这是个高难度的故事，不容易讲好，在某些段落的确给我一些疏离的感觉。片子已经尽力拍得最好，到高潮之处让我PG离不开座位（当然，也是因为情节够新奇，猜不到故事走向）。
说到这里，我只好把下面三百字讨论Perfume的主题和寓意的段落卡察砍掉。你自己看吧，我不能给你spoil了。
另一个话题我也只能粗粗地点一下，不能进一步讨论：小说和电影的差别。看完电影后我跑到附近书店里去翻了翻原作，原作很短，似乎电影的改编还是很忠实的，但是终究给人的感情印象不同－－至少对我来说。白纸黑字给人的感觉就更加客观冷静，似乎，比电影更加明确地告诉读者这是一个寓言，里面是一层层的隐喻让你分析和猜测；而电影则是sweeping the audience off their feet，而且似乎更加sympathetic。效果和重点不同。看电影，我几乎要以为这是一个关于艺术和天才的故事；看小说则很清楚不是，而是副标题所说：Study of a Murderer。
最后一个话题，我想Helen会特别有兴趣：故事里面的主角Grenouille 能做出世界上最匪夷所思的气味，他能辨别和重现每个人每个东西的独特气味，但是他完全没有自己的气味。He is a vessel.
5. Incomplete: Letters from Iwo Jima
To pass time, I saw the last 45 minutes or so of Letters from Iwo Jima before Perfume at ArcLight in Hollywood. Ken Turan at LA Times raved about this movie, but I cannot work up the motivation and interest to pay to see it. And the 45 minutes or so I saw gave me no reason to reverse my original suspicion. Although keep in mind my opinion is purely based on this incomplete portion of the movie.
The narrative is supposed to give us (actually the American audience, and that's an important point) an alternate point of view: From the Japanese soldiers' viewpoint instead of the conventional American soldiers'. I could not truly get into what's going on on screen, not quite because of their Japanese military uniforms but rather because I found it suspiciously ... American. Although I am the last person who could tell you how a Japanese soldier feels, thinks, speaks, or behaves in the heat of the battle, the movie does not give me any details that would assure me that the screenwriter and director (I saw no mention of consultants) have more idea than I do.
I don't know if authenticity was in fact what Eastwood and co. strive for in this movie. Perhaps it isn't. Then WTF is the point? 影片结束时从放映厅里出来的大多是日本裔观众，中老年，男性。我心痒难熬，恨不得揪住几个问：你觉得这片子可信吗？还是觉得根本是日本演员扮美国戏来着？可我也终究没好意思这么干。我总甩不掉一种gimmick的感觉，所谓全新角度似乎也就是一种工具和手段，似乎Eastwood并未追求真实感。
The accomplishment of this movie, for me, is the manipulation of the audience. Yet again I had the same eerie feeling I had for "Million Dollar Baby." I am not emotionally involved in the stories or the characters. All I can observe is how skillfully Eastwood manipulates the audience through narrative devices and subtle tricks. For example, a lot of Japanese soldiers were killed in the 45 minutes I saw, but not ONE American soldier was visibly killed with his face shown, even though carnage and explosion and deaths abound. Here he plays his trick well. 从敌人的角度来讲故事却不让自己人观众反感，这不是件容易的事。但从我这个第三者来看却是明白地被Eastwood耍了。当然，讲故事本来就是个耍人的过程，听故事的人则处于被争取／抵触之间。Roger Ebert, Ken Turan是被他争取过来的观众，而我就是没有能争取过来的人。
为啥我就没被争取过来涅？冲绳岛书信里面的调调，让我特眼熟，借了外国人表现出来的male bonding和男性＂英雄＂气概machismo这一套符号，跟无数西部片，武侠片，战争片，等等，都是一样的。在这里面也只是正面地传统地毫无悬念地送出来，并没有象唯一的例外Unforgiven那样颠覆。
War is a force that gives us meaning。是不是因为这种理想化的＂集体英雄主义＂只有在战争中才能全面而彻底地体现？而这种让人热血沸腾的力量能让普通人失去理智，失去自保的本能，失去自我的思考？我是个女人，又是个反战派，又有根深蒂固的反＂领导＂态度，这一套毕竟对我作用不大，看着这些英雄主义的男性理想的尖锐表现，大悲剧气势地力图感动观众，英俊高大的长官深深地看进小兵的眼里把遗书交托给他，拍拍他的肩膀，这样的场面大概每个男人看了都会热泪盈眶的。我只是叹口气，摇摇头，不为所动，甚至有一丝厌恶。
这种男式的感伤主义和理想，其实到处可见，从吴宇森到Eastwood。在电视上看了一点另一部经典影片Deliverance，也是在男性观众中引起无限共鸣却对我毫无作用。（好玩的是，Roger Ebert在７２年写的影评倒跟我这个女人的印象很接近。）
<本来还想讲Notes on a Scandal, Painted Veil，甚至或许Pan's Labyrinth，但是除夕就病倒了，一连三天在家窝着出不了门，什么也没看成。只好再说了。>
[影片]Inside Man, Syriana, 疯狂的石头, Perfume, Letters from
[影片]Inside Man, Syriana, 疯狂的石头, Perfume, Letters from
Last edited by Jun on 2007-01-08 17:25, edited 13 times in total.
I heard he is quite good in this movie, but the movie is solid but not fantastic.Re: 假日影片(cont)
ahh my heart just broke into a million little pieces.Jun wrote:演包＂探长＂的水泡眼胖子
i thought he's so hot when he first started acting--that must've been 10 years ago at least? he's still great though. 
Now that happy moment between the time the lie is told and when it is found out.
Re: 假日影片(cont)
Who is he?ravaged wrote:ahh my heart just broke into a million little pieces.Jun wrote:演包＂探长＂的水泡眼胖子
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疯狂的石头刚出来的时候人家说是Snatch的翻版。等我把俩都看了以后，果然。
不过疯狂的石头翻得很妙，虽然有些镜头手法是直接借用的，但大部分是借的意思和构思方式。加上当地当时特有的社会背景，就显得更妙了。导演和制片不简单。可以看出一开始他们借得有点拘谨，比如三人黑帮还弄了一条狗。不止一条，还好几条。镜头一闪变黑白护照上啪啪一个大印。后来越来越有自信越来越大胆，小狗后来就没出现了。
不过疯狂的石头翻得很妙，虽然有些镜头手法是直接借用的，但大部分是借的意思和构思方式。加上当地当时特有的社会背景，就显得更妙了。导演和制片不简单。可以看出一开始他们借得有点拘谨，比如三人黑帮还弄了一条狗。不止一条，还好几条。镜头一闪变黑白护照上啪啪一个大印。后来越来越有自信越来越大胆，小狗后来就没出现了。
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Well, I did not read the book first, so the movie kind of swept me off my feet, but curiously lacking an emotional attachment.
疯狂的石头 actually reminds me of a Swedish movie Slim Susie -- the same converging-plot subgenre, also with nutty plot and colorful characters. It is the colorful characters, not the intricacy of plot, that are critical for such a movie to work.
疯狂的石头 actually reminds me of a Swedish movie Slim Susie -- the same converging-plot subgenre, also with nutty plot and colorful characters. It is the colorful characters, not the intricacy of plot, that are critical for such a movie to work.
最近好看的电影真多，我简直忙不过来。一直想看的Perfume 之外，还有＜Notes on A Scandal>, <The Painted Veil>, <Children Of Men>. 不过当务之急是把<little children> 给看了，再拖着不看就该下线了。
介绍我新发现的google movie, 放进邮编就可以找出附近电影信息，界面干净快捷好用，小艺术电影院也有，比movietickets.com 好用。
http://www.google.com/movies
介绍我新发现的google movie, 放进邮编就可以找出附近电影信息，界面干净快捷好用，小艺术电影院也有，比movietickets.com 好用。
http://www.google.com/movies
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Without access to online pinyin input, I have to write everything in English. Sorry.
Alan Rickman, Dustin Hoffman both have supporting roles in the movie. Rickman doesn't have much to do except being an affectionate and concerned single father of a beautiful teenage daughter. Hoffman sports an Italian--English accent in his role as an Italian perfumer in Paris. He shouldn't have bothered, IMO.
The thing is, because the movie is an allegory (of what I cannot say without revealing key plot points), the characters don't have much complexity and nuance to work with. This is not a character-driven story.
Women ... that's one philosophical issue I have with the story, but I cannot fully discuss it without revealing the plot. Let's just say that they are portrayed as little more than the "object of admiration".
Alan Rickman, Dustin Hoffman both have supporting roles in the movie. Rickman doesn't have much to do except being an affectionate and concerned single father of a beautiful teenage daughter. Hoffman sports an Italian--English accent in his role as an Italian perfumer in Paris. He shouldn't have bothered, IMO.
The thing is, because the movie is an allegory (of what I cannot say without revealing key plot points), the characters don't have much complexity and nuance to work with. This is not a character-driven story.
Women ... that's one philosophical issue I have with the story, but I cannot fully discuss it without revealing the plot. Let's just say that they are portrayed as little more than the "object of admiration".
Since we're on the subject of movies, I have to share this blurb from NPR. Had me laughing so hard!
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... Id=6664694
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... Id=6664694
Indeed that is the miscalculation of Tom Tykwer. He did not quite understand Suskind's intention in the book and misrepresented the tone and a key element of the theme. The title is "Story of a Murderer," not story of a genius. Such is the problem with adapting novels. A betrayal of the original material is almost guaranteed.我一直以为是个天才排除万难反复实验为了创作最好的香水忍痛把情人给杀了的故事，
Apparently not any more. Ah, modernization kills the romance
在很久以前，制作香水被人认为是非常浪漫却高深的学问，这门学问起源于法国，称作enfleurage。当时，人们发现脂肪可以吸取香味。就象现在如果我们把一块黄油和菠萝放置在冰箱内，黄油就会吸收菠萝的香味而变得香起来。
enfleurage的方法，也就是把脂肪在一块块玻璃上抹均匀，再将这些玻璃块放置在木制的框架上，周围洒满鲜花，花朵每天都要不停的更换，不能有点枯萎。这样换了许多次后，这些脂肪颜色逐渐变深也渐渐饱和起来，便将它们从玻璃盘中移出倒在机器中搅动，搅碎后加入酒精，大约放置一个礼拜，香味就几乎转移到了酒精中，再将这些酒精收集起来，便形成了香水的雏形，剩下的脂肪可以加工成香膏。
用这种方法可以制作出各种味道的香水，并可以将其中的几种香精混合起来，在密封避光的地方保存一年左右，几种不同的香味就会变得合谐而稳定起来，这个储存时间不能缩短，否则质量就得不到保证。
在制作香水的过程中，最重要的一步是加入稳定剂，它能够使酒精减少挥发，在一段相当长的时间内保持香味，在古代的时候，人们就开始用香猫香、麝香与龙涎香这三种昂贵的原料来作为稳定剂，直到现在，这三种定性剂仍然是很优秀、常用的香水配制原料。
今天，我们制作香水的方法仍然沿袭了这种做法，只是这个过程更加高效而精确，选用高质量的溶剂运用萃取与蒸馏的方法提取高纯的香精，这些香精油和制作原料在市场上也随时可以买到。在现在，香水已不再那么神秘，我们每个人都可以加入制作香水的行列。当然，要成为一名香水大师可是要精通好多的学问才行。
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我老于放假期间看了derailed和摩托日记，２１克续到了，且在放放。
derailed不算差，情节曲折，编的也还圆。众多人说选角色错了，我倒觉得还好，jennifer演个小白领儿还挺有说服力，而clive owen会上当也就顺理成章。当然故事的节奏稍微慢了一点儿，不过我一边儿干点儿事儿一边儿看，也不太觉得什么。
摩托日记的观后感乃是我老越来越现实了，完全不能明白理想主义者的追求。不过部分细节拍的特有意思，比如说俩人爬山，那个小胖子倒在路边上，喘气说：这个山不是人爬的。话音还没落地，一个当地人背着一个大包不那么吃力的就过去了。喜剧效果类似疯狂石头里那个给困在井里的贼把手机天线从井盖眼儿里戳出去找信号。
derailed不算差，情节曲折，编的也还圆。众多人说选角色错了，我倒觉得还好，jennifer演个小白领儿还挺有说服力，而clive owen会上当也就顺理成章。当然故事的节奏稍微慢了一点儿，不过我一边儿干点儿事儿一边儿看，也不太觉得什么。
摩托日记的观后感乃是我老越来越现实了，完全不能明白理想主义者的追求。不过部分细节拍的特有意思，比如说俩人爬山，那个小胖子倒在路边上，喘气说：这个山不是人爬的。话音还没落地，一个当地人背着一个大包不那么吃力的就过去了。喜剧效果类似疯狂石头里那个给困在井里的贼把手机天线从井盖眼儿里戳出去找信号。
乡音无改鬓毛衰
I almost always label my movie reviews. However, I cannot do it for my book reports because they are all too long for the allowed space in the title. I have not come up with a way for books. If you have any ideas, please let me know.
Now that xiaoK has watched Perfume, perhaps I can start going into the specific gripes I have for the movie and its theme. But it will be full of spoilers for others who have not seen it but plan to. (Dropby has read the book.)
Now that xiaoK has watched Perfume, perhaps I can start going into the specific gripes I have for the movie and its theme. But it will be full of spoilers for others who have not seen it but plan to. (Dropby has read the book.)
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helenClaire
- Posts: 3159
- Joined: 2003-11-22 20:12
Jun, here's an idea:
1) Create a separate post with a title like "What Did Jun Say About This Book", in the post, list all the books you have reviewed alphabetically, with hyper-link to the actual text. Update this post everytime you have written a new book report.
2) Label your book reports systematically, i.e. JBR Vol. 23 No. 5.
3) On the first text line of every book report, put down the hyper-link to post in 1).
1) Create a separate post with a title like "What Did Jun Say About This Book", in the post, list all the books you have reviewed alphabetically, with hyper-link to the actual text. Update this post everytime you have written a new book report.
2) Label your book reports systematically, i.e. JBR Vol. 23 No. 5.
3) On the first text line of every book report, put down the hyper-link to post in 1).
Oh, please don't!
(Can we have a reverse of this -- getting into a box instead of popping out?)Because Helen had asked, I was digging into the very earliest posts on Fabvalley and ended up reading everyone's postings. It's extremely time consuming because I had forgotten about all the cool conversations 3 years ago...
And I was so brief then. When had become so wordy? Now I just keep talking and drool all over the place leaving pools of my spit here.
I can't help it, can I? I mean babbling too much? I'm not living the bustling life 笑嘻嘻 is. 
Can the search be set up to sort results by category labels that are available? Like searching for 影片 or "Book Reports" or other stuff? That way, others and I can go back to old postings and just edit the title and add a category label to each.
Can the search be set up to sort results by category labels that are available? Like searching for 影片 or "Book Reports" or other stuff? That way, others and I can go back to old postings and just edit the title and add a category label to each.
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techsupport
- Posts: 851
- Joined: 2003-11-22 13:17
原书写的相当不错，电影能排成这样就不错了，用视觉去表现嗅觉本来就是很难的。不过我也觉得电影好像改编得太阳光了，原本是个扭曲的故事。Jun wrote:Indeed that is the miscalculation of Tom Tykwer. He did not quite understand Suskind's intention in the book and misrepresented the tone and a key element of the theme. The title is "Story of a Murderer," not story of a genius. Such is the problem with adapting novels. A betrayal of the original material is almost guaranteed.
出品了大热门香水Angel的Thierry Mugler，随电影推出了一套15种限量香水，号称是对此书的"olfactory interpretation"，分别针对书/电影中的15场景，名字就能看出来：Orgy， Noms de Baby， Atelier Grimal, Virgin Number one, Boutique Baldini, Amor & Psyché, Sea，Baby 等等。Human Existence据说是想表现当时（1738年）巴黎下水道里的味道. Orgy指的是狂欢的那一幕，据说加入了Body Odor，就是人肉调。
“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo. "So do I," said Gandalf, "... But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien
，和Seinfield里的死鱼调有一拼。