貌似今年好电影不少，迄今我已经看见两部非常心仪打算去看的了。
一曰伊莎白之黄金年代，凯特步蓝车再演伊莎白，超级男保姆克里浮欧文演瑞类爵士－－海盗祖宗（好像），故事貌似包括苏格兰的玛莉女王之死和西班牙舰队之战，看片花只见凯特说：我们不可能失败，真有气势，我喜欢。
二曰美国帮派，单则华盛顿对拉手狗。单则华盛顿自从演了训练日之后就开始演纯坏的坏人了，此片中他西装革履雪茄烟，大声宣布此乃我的国家，我哪儿也不去，看着满带劲，打算看看。
[闲聊]秋季电影
I forgot to mention. Michael Clayton is written by Tony Gilroy, who wrote the complex screenplays for Bourne Trology. This one is also intricate, but much more logical and easier to follow than Bourne movies, while still intelligent. It's a pretty good movie.
Tony Gilroy has also written the script for the upcoming remake of Paul Abbott's classic British TV thriller "The State of Play." It's an atrocity.
Tony Gilroy has also written the script for the upcoming remake of Paul Abbott's classic British TV thriller "The State of Play." It's an atrocity.
推荐一个电影，我还没看，关于精神分裂症病人的故事，是编导的半自传，据说非常真实，比什么＂A Beautiful Mind＂真实多了。Marcia Gay Harden主演（她和Laura Linney，Maggie Gyllanhaal 是现在最好的女演员中的几个）。
Canvas
The serious side of Joey Pants
Release Date: 2007
Ebert Rating: ***
/ / / Oct 12, 2007
By Roger Ebert
'Canvas" is a serious film about mental illness and a sentimental heartwarmer, and succeeds in both ways. It tells the story of a 10-year-old whose mother is schizophrenic, and whose father is loyal and loving but stretched almost beyond his endurance.
The portrayal of schizophrenia in the film has been praised by mental health experts as unusually accurate and sympathetic; the story of the boy and his dad is a portrait of love under enormous stress.
Writer-director Joseph Greco says the film, his first feature, was influenced by his own childhood with a schizophrenic mother. Even the father's determination to build a sailboat comes from Greco's own life. His film benefits from persuasive, moving performances from all three leads: Joe Pantoliano as John Marino, a construction worker; Marcia Gay Harden as Mary, his wife, and Devon Gearhart as their young son, Chris. There is also an affecting performance by Sophia Bairley as Dawn, a schoolmate who becomes Chris's friend and confidant.
As the film opens, Mary is just a little too demonstrative in her love for Chris, who she possibly hasn't seen for awhile. That night Chris is awakened by flashing blue lights through the window; his mother has had a panic attack and his father and the police are bringing her back to the house. She is under medication, which doesn't seem to be working, and on another night, when she runs wild through a rainstorm, the police handcuff her "for her own safety," and she is committed to an asylum.
All of this is very hard on Chris, as cruel schoolmates taunt him about his crazy mother. When his father, desperate for distraction, begins to build a sailboat in the driveway, Chris begins to hear that his dad is crazy, too. He is a wise, solemn kid, but it all begins to get to him, especially when his mother inappropriately crashes his precious birthday party for a few friends in a local arcade.
The more movies I see, the more I wonder at what actors can do. Consider Joe Pantoliano. Famous for "The Sopranos," established as a character actor playing gangster and comic types, known by everyone, including himself, as "Joey Pants," he has a role here that most people would never think of him for, and he brings it tenderness and depth. He still loves his wife, and yearns for her return to health.
He loves his son, but isn't always perceptive enough of his needs. He spends money on the boat that he doesn't have. He has worked hard for 20 years and has a boss who isn't fair with him. Pantoliano brings to all of these dimensions a confidence and understanding that is a revelation; how many other actors are trapped by typecasting and have such unexplored regions within their talent?
Marcia Gay Harden finds a fine balance between madness and the temptations of overacting. Yes, she runs wild sometimes, but always as a human being, not as a caricature. And as the son, Devon Gearhart, who is at the center of many of the crucial scenes, has an unaffected and natural sincerity that is effective and convincing. I have noticed recently several performances by children that have a simplicity and grace that adults can only envy.
The film's ending may be more upbeat than the characters could hope for in real life, but it doesn't cave in to neat solutions. One scene in particular looks like a manufactured happy ending until the camera pulls back and provides a context for it. "Canvas" is a heartwarmer, as I said, a touching story of these people for whom the only response to mental illness is love.
Cast & Credits
John Marino: Joe Pantoliano
Mary Marino: Marcia Gay Harden
Chris Marino: Devon Gearhart
Dawn: Sophia Bairley
Rebellion Pictures presents a film written and directed by Joseph Greco. Running time: 100 minutes. Classified PG-13 (for mature thematic elements). Opens today at AMC Loews 600 North Michigan.
这个周末过得十分（按照我的标注来说）疯狂，因为好奇下周要出来的电影"Gone Baby Gone"而把原著借来看，结果一拿起就放不下了，一天半急忙读完，其他除了吃饭睡觉什么也没干。
我一般比较偏爱梅格雷那种police procedural，私人侦探这年头已经不怎么流行了，而且Dennis Lehane 的Kenzie/Gennaro 系列又是那么老派的故事。他的东西真让我又想看又怕看，太悲观主义了，太黑暗了，他的小说毫不羞愧地承认自己信仰的是真善美，而面对的是无法解决的现实悖论。不需要躲在玩世不恭的面具后面保持感情上安全的距离，也没有学院派的自鸣得意，从中得到的小小安慰，暂时地扭转面孔不必跟现实正面直视。我不知道为什么天主教作家写的玩意儿这么吸引我，是因为他们相信evil？ 相信地狱的存在？最不sentimental 的一群家伙，不需要粉饰现实或粉饰自己。赤裸裸的痛心和负罪感，他们都有一点masochistic 的倾向。
情节有一点复杂，不知道电影剧本打算怎样浓缩改编。很少有人能象Brian Helgeland 和 Curtis Hanson 改编 LA Confidential 那样面目全非却仍然保持精髓，形不似神似。其实，Helgeland 的调调，或者Tony Scott 的调调，都蛮合适改编这一套小说的，很多的火爆血腥的场面，空气里弥漫着testosterone 和枪药的气味。我对Ben Affleck 的才能实在信心不足，而且他为什么要选系列里的第四本改编呢？人物的历史怎么办？他弟弟Casey也太娃娃脸了一些，十分不符合我对Patrick Kenzie 的想象。但他的确是波士顿本地人，或许能保存原作里强烈的地方色彩和爱尔兰味道。
要说侦探小说的plotting 方面，Lehane 不能算是最出色的，结构和节奏上也颇有点头重脚轻。但是他写人物和暴力场面是数一数二的文笔，立刻可以变成电影画面，没有一个人是简单的脸谱或者一句话可以概况的假人。他笔下的波士顿的爱尔兰裔的当地人，他们的历史和文化，可见和不可见的环境，我几乎没见过写得那么活灵活现的。
他的小说我读过三本，Mystic River, A Drink Before the War, 和 Gone Baby Gone，每一本都读得又着迷又骇然，又想看又怕看，简直喘不过气来。他的主题都是关于家庭的，尤其是父母与子女的关系，那么强烈的爱恨交织，那么纠缠无解的死结，代代相传的债务和宿罪和包袱。读到一定程度我终于想起来什么地方觉得熟悉---早期吴宇森电影里狂暴的压抑的感觉，不得不通过荒诞的暴力来表现。（结果读到最后时他竟然提到了吴宇森，虽然说的是"I hate John Woo's movies." 说明我的鼻子还是灵的。）当然他是对的，吴的影片里压抑的到底是什么说不得的激情，天晓得，恐怕他早就满足了，开心了，不再耿耿于怀。Dennis Lehane 的暴烈的命运悲剧是我们都心知肚明但是害怕面对的。为什么那么多天主教的作者们能够冷酷地不加粉饰地面对，也不给我们一点虚弱的谎言和假象呢？
我一般比较偏爱梅格雷那种police procedural，私人侦探这年头已经不怎么流行了，而且Dennis Lehane 的Kenzie/Gennaro 系列又是那么老派的故事。他的东西真让我又想看又怕看，太悲观主义了，太黑暗了，他的小说毫不羞愧地承认自己信仰的是真善美，而面对的是无法解决的现实悖论。不需要躲在玩世不恭的面具后面保持感情上安全的距离，也没有学院派的自鸣得意，从中得到的小小安慰，暂时地扭转面孔不必跟现实正面直视。我不知道为什么天主教作家写的玩意儿这么吸引我，是因为他们相信evil？ 相信地狱的存在？最不sentimental 的一群家伙，不需要粉饰现实或粉饰自己。赤裸裸的痛心和负罪感，他们都有一点masochistic 的倾向。
情节有一点复杂，不知道电影剧本打算怎样浓缩改编。很少有人能象Brian Helgeland 和 Curtis Hanson 改编 LA Confidential 那样面目全非却仍然保持精髓，形不似神似。其实，Helgeland 的调调，或者Tony Scott 的调调，都蛮合适改编这一套小说的，很多的火爆血腥的场面，空气里弥漫着testosterone 和枪药的气味。我对Ben Affleck 的才能实在信心不足，而且他为什么要选系列里的第四本改编呢？人物的历史怎么办？他弟弟Casey也太娃娃脸了一些，十分不符合我对Patrick Kenzie 的想象。但他的确是波士顿本地人，或许能保存原作里强烈的地方色彩和爱尔兰味道。
要说侦探小说的plotting 方面，Lehane 不能算是最出色的，结构和节奏上也颇有点头重脚轻。但是他写人物和暴力场面是数一数二的文笔，立刻可以变成电影画面，没有一个人是简单的脸谱或者一句话可以概况的假人。他笔下的波士顿的爱尔兰裔的当地人，他们的历史和文化，可见和不可见的环境，我几乎没见过写得那么活灵活现的。
他的小说我读过三本，Mystic River, A Drink Before the War, 和 Gone Baby Gone，每一本都读得又着迷又骇然，又想看又怕看，简直喘不过气来。他的主题都是关于家庭的，尤其是父母与子女的关系，那么强烈的爱恨交织，那么纠缠无解的死结，代代相传的债务和宿罪和包袱。读到一定程度我终于想起来什么地方觉得熟悉---早期吴宇森电影里狂暴的压抑的感觉，不得不通过荒诞的暴力来表现。（结果读到最后时他竟然提到了吴宇森，虽然说的是"I hate John Woo's movies." 说明我的鼻子还是灵的。）当然他是对的，吴的影片里压抑的到底是什么说不得的激情，天晓得，恐怕他早就满足了，开心了，不再耿耿于怀。Dennis Lehane 的暴烈的命运悲剧是我们都心知肚明但是害怕面对的。为什么那么多天主教的作者们能够冷酷地不加粉饰地面对，也不给我们一点虚弱的谎言和假象呢？
Dr. Tiff, I'm talking to you in particular...
You know that awards season is here because two dead-kid movies, Gone Baby Gone and Reservation Road, open on the same day, October 19―and there’s nothing like dead or imperiled children to up the dramatic stakes. You’ll have to forgive me for not reviewing both: I have a firm one-dead-kid-movie-per-column limit. So I chose Gone Baby Gone: It’s based on one of Dennis Lehane’s terrific Kenzie-Gennaro detective novels, and I wanted to see if Ben Affleck could commit as a director the way he doesn’t as an actor. He can, it turns out. His dark, doom-laden Boston has more gravity than Jupiter, and the movie sinks its hooks in painfully deep.
Gone Baby Gone revolves around the disappearance of Amanda, a 4-year-old Dorchester girl whose single mother (Amy Ryan) is an addict and Lord knows what else. It’s her pious sister (Amy Madigan) who hires the private investigators Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) and Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan) to poke around the neighborhood the way the cops can’t. Patrick grew up amid Irish toughies and Angie comes from Mafia stock―although Affleck and his co-screenwriter, Aaron Stockard, leave out her backstory and the character suffers for it. Gone Baby Gone is the fourth book in the series, which means a lot of that backstory is missing. But you know why Affleck wanted to make it. Written just before Lehane’s Mystic River, it’s the rare genre novel that poses an unanswerable question: How far can you go to protect neglected and abused children in a world rife with selfish parents and predators? It’s a vigilante book at war with itself, with an ending that will leave you similarly ripped in half―a shambles. (Just to be clear: I’m not saying Amanda is or isn’t the movie’s dead kid, only that there is one.)
Affleck shot the film in Boston, and he captures the city’s unfathomable layout, intense tribalism, and the existential separateness of its neighborhoods better than Scorsese in The Departed. But his hand is often heavier than it needs to be. He lingers on the mottled, leering visages of the working-class locals, so that the city becomes a circus-freak show. And he lets his actors stride into the minefield that is the fake Boston accent: It’s all “pahk ya cah” and “fock yah muthah.”
The actors are amazing in spite of those accents. Casey Affleck has never had a pedestal like the one his brother provides him, and he earns it. His Patrick is pale and raspy, with a slight grogginess that gives him an astounding vulnerability―and makes his bursts of temper shocking. He’s not physically imposing, but he reels off four-letter words so fast that it leaves his bigger and more dangerous opponents staring in disbelief. Michelle Monaghan has the more recessive role: Angie doesn’t want the case and seems almost too fragile to contemplate the abuse of the child she’s hunting. But what a face she has. Every wary look, every retreat is beautifully expressive. Morgan Freeman―improbably cast as a Boston police chief named Doyle―gives a perfectly judged performance, with enough in reserve to keep you guessing. Ed Harris plays a homicide cop with spooky blue eyes that never blink. He looks both insane and all-seeing, as if he knows too many bad things to close them ever again.
― David Edelstein in New York Magazine
报告白博，你如果还没读小说，就先别读了，看了电影之后再读好了。电影还算可以，前半部分尤其好，但是终究没有小说那么出色。
Casey Affleck 有点他哥哥口齿不清表情模糊的毛病，不过说起脏话来很溜，一套一套的，那段最好看。虽然小样儿，跟我想象的Kenzie不太吻合，倒也还过得去。
跟其他演而优则导的人差不多，Ben Affleck 的第一部也是相当四平八稳的，不过不失，有点太谨慎，对原著不敢多改。地方色彩都有保留，很波士顿。几个配角演员都很棒。枪战戏比较失望，似乎他不太敢拍或者不太有兴趣拍打戏。
演员改导演，第一部都比较tentative，有没有两把刷子要看第二第三部。我还是觉得如果Brian Helgeland 来拍会更合适。
Casey Affleck 有点他哥哥口齿不清表情模糊的毛病，不过说起脏话来很溜，一套一套的，那段最好看。虽然小样儿，跟我想象的Kenzie不太吻合，倒也还过得去。
跟其他演而优则导的人差不多，Ben Affleck 的第一部也是相当四平八稳的，不过不失，有点太谨慎，对原著不敢多改。地方色彩都有保留，很波士顿。几个配角演员都很棒。枪战戏比较失望，似乎他不太敢拍或者不太有兴趣拍打戏。
演员改导演，第一部都比较tentative，有没有两把刷子要看第二第三部。我还是觉得如果Brian Helgeland 来拍会更合适。
)演得不错，可是他太帅了点。 当角色走投无路四面碰墙的时候，Georgio也就眼圈黑点儿松个领带。 那么零星点的憔悴骗谁！别这么说，他在 Syrianna 里面的邋遢形象还是挺彻底的，甚至长了个肚腩来着。这里面演一个衣冠楚楚的律师还是可以保留帅的形象的。我觉得剧本和导演都很内敛，他的表演其实是相当符合整体风格的。一些重要的细节和人物背景都subtle地流露给观众，例如Michael Clayton过去是做检察官的，站在＂好人＂一边，然后为钱而加入＂坏人＂阵营，委屈良心地干了十几年。例如他被弟弟开餐馆拖下水，欠的钱数其实不多，那么这十几年为钱牺牲良心的受益和物质好处，说到底全白费了。注意他的弟弟是个alcoholic，他的赌博倾向决不是孤立现象。他的另一个兄弟做警察，而他过去在district attorney's office当差，我这个看多了Law＆Order的人立刻产生老朋友的感觉，发明出一大套人物的历史和back stories，Irish Catholic的家庭背景当差的传统等等。
比较让我不满意的是Tilda Swinton演的坏人，编导故意给她内心挣扎的灰色基调而不是一坏到底的俗套，可以理解但我很难相信。引用Chandler的名言：Don't tell me about kind-hearted gangsters. Kind-hearted people don't become gangsters. 或许编导觉得象Harriet Myers, Condie Rice, 这些女人不可能跟男性的sociopaths一样，但实际上是可能的，女人里也有不知良知为何物的成员。
比较让我不满意的是Tilda Swinton演的坏人，编导故意给她内心挣扎的灰色基调而不是一坏到底的俗套，可以理解但我很难相信。引用Chandler的名言：Don't tell me about kind-hearted gangsters. Kind-hearted people don't become gangsters. 或许编导觉得象Harriet Myers, Condie Rice, 这些女人不可能跟男性的sociopaths一样，但实际上是可能的，女人里也有不知良知为何物的成员。
Yeah, I agree that the film has lots of details that made it fleshy and believable. Still Geogio is just a little too suave. It's hard to believe that he was besieged financially and morally throughout most of the movie. Never during the movie did I feel "oh this guy is losing it." Especially when he confronted the female lawyer at the end, it was like a scene out of Ocean 11.
The female lawyer was great though. I really liked the scenes when she prepped for meetings in her hotel room, going over the speech word by word. That's great acting.
The female lawyer was great though. I really liked the scenes when she prepped for meetings in her hotel room, going over the speech word by word. That's great acting.
我简直不敢相信自己在替George Clooney辩护。我对他的印象一直马马虎虎，没什么特别感觉，帅自然是帅的，也不是我特别倾倒的类型。演技也不觉得特别好－－当然我也没特地注意过，这次算是印象比较深的。很多地方的细节非常低调一闪而过，跟编导Tony Gilroy的风格有关。这部片子里有很多的elements都是对我特别感慨的，例如家庭背景和兄弟关系，疲惫的中年人，工作上钱和良心的矛盾，纽约脏乱的后街，甚至对bipolar disorder的描写都还算过得去，没把Tom Wilkinson的角色写成疯狂的傻冒或俗套的神经病（同时也不完全是＂被万恶的社会逼疯了＂的俗套）。或许因为Clooney外形上的优势对我作用不大，我倒觉得能appreciate这个人物光鲜外表下面的厌恶和疲倦，不需要他变得跟Wilkinson一样潦倒才说明问题。而且其实作者是拿Wilkinson的角色来暗示Clooney的角色的未来下场，如果他不改变生活的话。两个英国演员Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson都十分出色，几个配角包括Clooney的警察兄弟，他儿子，他前妻，Sidney Pollack演的顶头上司，甚至被Wilkinson迷上的乡下女孩子，都很不俗套，既熟悉又新鲜。
这个片子好就好在低调么。另外还有一个剪辑。故事啊人物啊倒是一般般的。Jun wrote:我简直不敢相信自己在替George Clooney辩护。我对他的印象一直马马虎虎，没什么特别感觉，帅自然是帅的，也不是我特别倾倒的类型。演技也不觉得特别好－－当然我也没特地注意过，这次算是印象比较深的。很多地方的细节非常低调一闪而过，跟编导Tony Gilroy的风格有关。这部片子里有很多的elements都是对我特别感慨的，例如家庭背景和兄弟关系，疲惫的中年人，工作上钱和良心的矛盾，纽约脏乱的后街，甚至对bipolar disorder的描写都还算过得去，没把Tom Wilkinson的角色写成疯狂的傻冒或俗套的神经病（同时也不完全是＂被万恶的社会逼疯了＂的俗套）。或许因为Clooney外形上的优势对我作用不大，我倒觉得能appreciate这个人物光鲜外表下面的厌恶和疲倦，不需要他变得跟Wilkinson一样潦倒才说明问题。而且其实作者是拿Wilkinson的角色来暗示Clooney的角色的未来下场，如果他不改变生活的话。两个英国演员Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson都十分出色，几个配角包括Clooney的警察兄弟，他儿子，他前妻，Sidney Pollack演的顶头上司，甚至被Wilkinson迷上的乡下女孩子，都很不俗套，既熟悉又新鲜。
Violent delights.
Michael Clayton 里面的风格十分低调冷色，很容易被忽略优美或者高明的地方。例如，主角在影片开头关于马的一段，Roger Ebert 在他的网站问答上给了一个很头脑简单的回答：
我觉得他说错了。这一段其实非常contrived，但是Gilroy把它放在片头（当观众还不知道前因后果时），减弱了后来给人不可信、瞎编的感觉。而且这场戏拍得非常非常美，气氛特别浓厚，绝对是有象征意味的。Q. In "Michael Clayton," what was the significance of the three horses in the field, and how did Michael Clayton happen to stop his car there?
Trish McDonald, Cincinnati
A. Weary and depressed, I think he simply saw the horses and wanted to stop and breathe some fresh air. No symbolism. Good timing, though.
是，全剧最巧合的地方就是他出来看马，放在头上让观众先入为主就接受了。
我也觉的电影演员阵容真强。Tilda Swinton 的角色处理的特别好。这剧本写的好，就是因为人人都典型又有特色。女律师对自己的导师（mentor)唐当父亲一样敬爱尊重，她下杀arthur 的命令时，不是一个理性的决定，而是为了保护唐的感情决定。如果完全理性的盘算，文件暴露出来弄不垮公司，最坏的结局是唐的事业完了，她作为唐的直系也完了，可是她已经混到独当一面的general counsel， 这早期文件没她牵涉，政治斗争的结果，唐倒了她没准还往上走。她不惜代价保护的主要还是唐。她也不是杀惯了人的黑帮老大，一辈子干的都是怎么在合法范围内走钢丝的勾当，紧张害怕是非常正常的，杀人不眨眼才奇怪呢。她的紧张未必是良心问题。她眼里arthur 可能就是个疯子，得尽快把局面控制下来，别的办法没有，就只好用最后一条路了。
我也觉的电影演员阵容真强。Tilda Swinton 的角色处理的特别好。这剧本写的好，就是因为人人都典型又有特色。女律师对自己的导师（mentor)唐当父亲一样敬爱尊重，她下杀arthur 的命令时，不是一个理性的决定，而是为了保护唐的感情决定。如果完全理性的盘算，文件暴露出来弄不垮公司，最坏的结局是唐的事业完了，她作为唐的直系也完了，可是她已经混到独当一面的general counsel， 这早期文件没她牵涉，政治斗争的结果，唐倒了她没准还往上走。她不惜代价保护的主要还是唐。她也不是杀惯了人的黑帮老大，一辈子干的都是怎么在合法范围内走钢丝的勾当，紧张害怕是非常正常的，杀人不眨眼才奇怪呢。她的紧张未必是良心问题。她眼里arthur 可能就是个疯子，得尽快把局面控制下来，别的办法没有，就只好用最后一条路了。
有事找我请发站内消息
虽然表面上Michael Clayton是个现实的故事，但是里面有种半梦半醒的气氛，好象你开车开得极其疲倦时，一边打盹一边开车。注意Wilkinson的纽约公寓多么空荡而破旧。三个号称高级律师的成功人士，都在理智的边缘走钢丝，马上就要掉下悬崖。The weariness puts everyone in a state of sleepwalking. There is something poetic in the horse scene. 我特别喜欢这种看似写实，实际很心理化的拍法。
唯一影响到欣赏此片的是里面到处充满了Law and Order的guest actors，简直象图画迷藏一样，看你能找出几个熟面孔。开始没过三分之一时，我已经数到八九个，只能放弃。查查IMDB演员表，至少有一打半在L&O上面出现过的演员，我的天。
Gone Baby Gone 也很好看，虽然没有那么精致，Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris，都绝不会有一步走错。主要是地方色彩浓厚。
最近要出的一部Sidney Lumet 的新片"Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" 评论似乎很不错，俨然是Oscar contender的架势了，据说里面的表演非常非常好看。主演是PS Hoffman, Ethan Hawk, Marisa Tomei, Albert Finney 也是家庭冲突，两个兄弟的故事。号称有Hoffman 的火爆激情戏，对我来说是绝对不能错过的。:mrgreen:
唯一影响到欣赏此片的是里面到处充满了Law and Order的guest actors，简直象图画迷藏一样，看你能找出几个熟面孔。开始没过三分之一时，我已经数到八九个，只能放弃。查查IMDB演员表，至少有一打半在L&O上面出现过的演员，我的天。
Gone Baby Gone 也很好看，虽然没有那么精致，Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris，都绝不会有一步走错。主要是地方色彩浓厚。
最近要出的一部Sidney Lumet 的新片"Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" 评论似乎很不错，俨然是Oscar contender的架势了，据说里面的表演非常非常好看。主演是PS Hoffman, Ethan Hawk, Marisa Tomei, Albert Finney 也是家庭冲突，两个兄弟的故事。号称有Hoffman 的火爆激情戏，对我来说是绝对不能错过的。:mrgreen:
Which is why Clayton has to trick Tilda Swinton's character as quickly as possible, immediately after the assassins reported to her about the explosion, but before the police announced any actual report. Remember the assassins would not go near the scene of the crime, unlike CSI people...还有一点看Bones太多的后遗症，这个，即使是车被炸毁了也应该有尸体，总不会看到手表证件就确认这个人死了啊。
From Rogerebeter.com:
The fact is Gilroy could have written any other far more plausible ways to get him out of the car, but he chose this rather contrived way. I am sure he did it on purpose.
American Gangster is enthusiastically praised by the grump old Stephen Hunter. Looks good.
Note that Clayton is not supposed to have read the book. So the poetric mystery is still present in this scene.Q: In response to the Answer Man item about the significance of the horses in the field of "Michael Clayton," the reason Clayton stopped at the horses and the tree was because this was a significant image in the red book his son had given him to read -- the book he couldn't find time for. The image of the tree and the horses gave Clayton reason to pause and ponder his son and his life, which ultimately saved him, since it removed him from the vehicle.
L. Brookes, Kamloops, British Columbia
A. Your answer was one of 38 I received! Dondi DeMarco of New York City wrote: "That book was about a post-apocalyptic world in which every man is not merely on his own, but is in fact unable to tell who are his allies and who are his enemies. At the same time, it's a fantasy world that is far more colorful and life-filled than the world of gray pragmatism in which Michael has found himself for so long."
The fact is Gilroy could have written any other far more plausible ways to get him out of the car, but he chose this rather contrived way. I am sure he did it on purpose.
American Gangster is enthusiastically praised by the grump old Stephen Hunter. Looks good.
More about Michael Clayton. How strange that the movie has stayed with me for so long ...
From WashPost online chat with their staff reviewer Ann Hornaday:
From WashPost online chat with their staff reviewer Ann Hornaday:
To Arlington re: Michael Clayton: If you're a lawyer, you'll hate "Michael Clayton." The picture it paints of of law-firm life is a wildly distorted dark fantasy that bears no resemblance to the real world.
More generally, the plot is terribly strained and contrived. Why did the crazy man pursue such a needlessly complicated method to achieve his goal, when much easier ways are obvious on a moment's thought? Why did Clooney get out of the car when he did?
And the conclusion was so sudden and neat that one got the impression that everyone involved got tired of making the movie: "We've advanced each plot thread inch-by-inch so far, but we're at two hours, so let's wrap everything up really quickly."
Ann Hornaday: That's funny, the second time I saw it I was with a lawyer, and she loved it! I guess you have to buy into a certain amount of exaggeration to enjoy it, but I still thought it worked as a good old fashioned thriller. The Clooney/car bit was a piece of mysticism (the image of the horses was in his son's book)...To each his or her own, I thought it was a nifty piece of entertainment.
I'm kind of glad that the social commentary in the movie was so tame -- hardly an expose any more -- especially now that we have far worse depravity all around us. The fatigue from too much outrage and too much callous evil really struck a cord with me.I am a lawyer: and my husband is, too, and we both LOVED "Clayton" and both specifically said to each other that it was completely accurate. They were not evil; they were doing their jobs, as lawyers, with that particular client. As they said, they are the janitors and that is very often the case. We both though Clooney captured perfectly the nuances and shades of gray in every human being and in every career choice. Loved the movie.
Ann Hornaday: Another county heard from! I agree about Clooney, and thought everyone else -- Tom Wilkison, Tilda Swinton, Sydney Pollack -- was really good, too. Thanks for weighing in! (Does this count as billable hours?)
_______________________
Washington, D.C.: Funny about people not believing "Clayton." As a former big-firm lawyer who defended a huge corporation in a similar suit, I can say with authority that it is completely accurate. My colleagues and I hewed to the rules of ethics, but our client sure didn't want us to. We finally had to withdraw as counsel because we knew they were actively shredding damning documents. You don't think Chevy made similar decisions with the Nova? A life cost $X to save, so that is too much to change the cars to save those lives? What about tobacco companies? Drug companies? Time to let the scales fall off your eyes, kids.
Ann Hornaday: Wow. W*O*W. Many thanks for that.
An added note: Tony Gilroy, who wrote and directed "Michael Clayton," based a lot of it on his observations of law firms when he was researching the script for "Devil's Advocate."
昨天去看了《American Gangster》，果然很好。
我开始以为这不过是个正直警察单枪匹马端掉黑帮的故事，又是美国人百拍不厌的个人英雄主义。但并不是。原来黑帮也有种族歧视。一个黑人怎么可以当一直被意大利人垄断的MAFIA首领？一个黑人怎么可以不给别人打工，不通过中间人，自己当老板做毒品生意？一个黑人怎么敢俨然以上流社会自居，穿裘皮大衣招摇过市？有人做了，于是他要付出代价。他以为人们热爱他所代表的一切。但是白人警察说：他们恨你。因为你代表的是progress，黑人的progress，你以为其他的黑帮领袖会视你为同类么？他以为他是美国人，美国是他的国，Harlem是他的家，可是当时这个国家的大多数人显然并不这么认为。他并不知道他已经不知不觉地成为一种另类民权运动的领袖。白人警察说：他是纽约城最危险的人。作为成功的黑帮首领，他不只传播毒品，他还传播思想，他的侄子已经跟他讲：我要成为你。
《American Gangster》，本来觉得这题目很怪，至此才明白为什么。别人认为他只配做black gangster，但他确实是地地道道的American Gangster.
Danzel Washington和Rusell Crowe都老了。Danzel Washington威势犹存。Russell Crowe既不帅，又没气势，一个又穷又老的警察，居然还玩风流潇洒左拥右抱那一套，很不可信。可能是编剧的原因，没有给出他坚持正直坚持原则的理由。不主动贪污受贿也就罢了，可是把无意中看到的一百万交给上级（而上级也不过是把这些钱贪污掉），就应该有某种更合情理的解释--难道他自小接受“富贵不能淫贫贱不能移”的教诲？
这部电影里的女孩子没有一个好看的，演技也都平平。Danzel Washington的妈妈演得不错，有她戏的地方都发挥的超出期望。
我开始以为这不过是个正直警察单枪匹马端掉黑帮的故事，又是美国人百拍不厌的个人英雄主义。但并不是。原来黑帮也有种族歧视。一个黑人怎么可以当一直被意大利人垄断的MAFIA首领？一个黑人怎么可以不给别人打工，不通过中间人，自己当老板做毒品生意？一个黑人怎么敢俨然以上流社会自居，穿裘皮大衣招摇过市？有人做了，于是他要付出代价。他以为人们热爱他所代表的一切。但是白人警察说：他们恨你。因为你代表的是progress，黑人的progress，你以为其他的黑帮领袖会视你为同类么？他以为他是美国人，美国是他的国，Harlem是他的家，可是当时这个国家的大多数人显然并不这么认为。他并不知道他已经不知不觉地成为一种另类民权运动的领袖。白人警察说：他是纽约城最危险的人。作为成功的黑帮首领，他不只传播毒品，他还传播思想，他的侄子已经跟他讲：我要成为你。
《American Gangster》，本来觉得这题目很怪，至此才明白为什么。别人认为他只配做black gangster，但他确实是地地道道的American Gangster.
Danzel Washington和Rusell Crowe都老了。Danzel Washington威势犹存。Russell Crowe既不帅，又没气势，一个又穷又老的警察，居然还玩风流潇洒左拥右抱那一套，很不可信。可能是编剧的原因，没有给出他坚持正直坚持原则的理由。不主动贪污受贿也就罢了，可是把无意中看到的一百万交给上级（而上级也不过是把这些钱贪污掉），就应该有某种更合情理的解释--难道他自小接受“富贵不能淫贫贱不能移”的教诲？
这部电影里的女孩子没有一个好看的，演技也都平平。Danzel Washington的妈妈演得不错，有她戏的地方都发挥的超出期望。
演老太太的是（据说）legendary actress Ruby Dee，不过我没看过她过去的电影。
今天去看了Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. 这是一个纯男人的故事。今年的电影真可以总结为"the disintegration of men"，到处是不堪生活重负片片碎掉倒塌的男人的故事。所以我虽然欣赏但不怎么喜欢。当然人家也不要你喜欢，没有提供一个值得同情的人物，不是loser就是psychopath 。非常冷酷，非常没有道德的片子。
Salon.com 的女影评是少数对此片评价麻麻的人，看到一半时我明白了她的意思。这些人物的行为和动机都是非常非常男性化的，跟女人的视角彻底不同。这不是一般俗套的男人如何女人如何，也不是谁高谁低，谁温柔谁勇敢，谁aggressive谁passive的两极分类对比。你看了就知道，男人和女人看待世界的眼光根本是不同的，他们的世界也是两个不同的星球。同样的感觉在David Mamet身上也有。
看到一半时我几乎以为这是一个 misogynistic 的故事，主题是女人如何把男人逼上绝路。但是Marisa Tomei 的角色的后面几场戏，让我明白作者只是不明白女人而已，他给男主角设定的人生包袱，根源并非女人，而是男人普遍念念不忘的，儿子同老爹的永恒矛盾。 两个女角都完全不靠谱，让我再次感慨，好莱坞是男人垄断的天下，女观众不能等他们拍女性故事，自己的故事还得自己讲。其他的弱势族群也是一样，等强势白人男站出来替你说话是绝无希望的。
我相信一个男观众看此片一定是如雷灌顶，感慨万千。对我来说就隔了一层，从远处冷冷地看。要不是Phillip Seymore Hoffman自始至终抓住我的注意，恐怕感觉更冷淡。他的表演里细节特别强，有好几处让我想起在现实里看见人家的举止习惯小动作，简直神奇，而且跟他过去的影片Magnolia, Capote里面的形象举止完全不同，可见是特意为人物设计的。真厉害极了。另外两个男主也演得很好，Albert Finney和Ethan Hawk（终于有人发掘Ethan Hawk的weasliness了）。
编剧叫Kelly Masterson，名字可男可女，我看片尾演职员表时心想如果是个女的可就奇怪了。结果回家一查，果然不错，是个男的，剧作家。影片里有暗喻李尔王和好几处圣经典故。后来发现他是神学院教育出来改行写话剧的，就更不奇怪了。
今天去看了Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. 这是一个纯男人的故事。今年的电影真可以总结为"the disintegration of men"，到处是不堪生活重负片片碎掉倒塌的男人的故事。所以我虽然欣赏但不怎么喜欢。当然人家也不要你喜欢，没有提供一个值得同情的人物，不是loser就是psychopath 。非常冷酷，非常没有道德的片子。
Salon.com 的女影评是少数对此片评价麻麻的人，看到一半时我明白了她的意思。这些人物的行为和动机都是非常非常男性化的，跟女人的视角彻底不同。这不是一般俗套的男人如何女人如何，也不是谁高谁低，谁温柔谁勇敢，谁aggressive谁passive的两极分类对比。你看了就知道，男人和女人看待世界的眼光根本是不同的，他们的世界也是两个不同的星球。同样的感觉在David Mamet身上也有。
看到一半时我几乎以为这是一个 misogynistic 的故事，主题是女人如何把男人逼上绝路。但是Marisa Tomei 的角色的后面几场戏，让我明白作者只是不明白女人而已，他给男主角设定的人生包袱，根源并非女人，而是男人普遍念念不忘的，儿子同老爹的永恒矛盾。 两个女角都完全不靠谱，让我再次感慨，好莱坞是男人垄断的天下，女观众不能等他们拍女性故事，自己的故事还得自己讲。其他的弱势族群也是一样，等强势白人男站出来替你说话是绝无希望的。
我相信一个男观众看此片一定是如雷灌顶，感慨万千。对我来说就隔了一层，从远处冷冷地看。要不是Phillip Seymore Hoffman自始至终抓住我的注意，恐怕感觉更冷淡。他的表演里细节特别强，有好几处让我想起在现实里看见人家的举止习惯小动作，简直神奇，而且跟他过去的影片Magnolia, Capote里面的形象举止完全不同，可见是特意为人物设计的。真厉害极了。另外两个男主也演得很好，Albert Finney和Ethan Hawk（终于有人发掘Ethan Hawk的weasliness了）。
编剧叫Kelly Masterson，名字可男可女，我看片尾演职员表时心想如果是个女的可就奇怪了。结果回家一查，果然不错，是个男的，剧作家。影片里有暗喻李尔王和好几处圣经典故。后来发现他是神学院教育出来改行写话剧的，就更不奇怪了。
第一遍里，Ethan Hawk有化妆的，但是他在惊慌开走时一边骂Andy 一边把假发假胡子扯下来。
剧本里很多让我眼熟的成份，立刻想到的除了李尔王，旧约里的典故，还有Sam Raimi 的A Simple Plan，Coen brothers 的 Fargo。结果后来在网上查Kelly Masterson时看见他自己提到受到Coen brothers' "A Simple Plan"的影响。连他自己都搞混了。
我疑心自己是太偏爱他了，所以有点影响了对他的人物的感觉。到最后应该是厌恶他，理解和同情他爹在结尾的决定，但就是拐不过来。好象他过去没那么胖的。其实就是让他脱了好几次所以才感觉让人发指。如果让其他好莱坞男演员这么坦诚相见，例如辣手狗，恐怕也不象衣冠楚楚时那么光鲜吧？ And George Clooney always strikes me as the type who might have a belly underneath the Armani -- look at his chubby cheeks!Hoffman的身材也很令人发指。
剧本里很多让我眼熟的成份，立刻想到的除了李尔王，旧约里的典故，还有Sam Raimi 的A Simple Plan，Coen brothers 的 Fargo。结果后来在网上查Kelly Masterson时看见他自己提到受到Coen brothers' "A Simple Plan"的影响。连他自己都搞混了。
刚看了 Lions for Lambs。这简直是个文艺电影。整个电影就是三段对话。但是对话中的每个人非常有张力。最好的是 Meryl Streep 和 Tom Cruise 的一段。Tom Cruise 演一个阿尔法男参议院，年老的女记者 Meryl Streep 走进房间，参议院蓝眼睛专注热诚地注视对方目光炯炯大放魅力。女记者不好意思地东张西望声音都是小的，但是也没妨碍她小声地提尖刻问题。Tom Cruise 在里面的演出堪称出色。不过别以为这段对话只是讥讽了政客和政府，Meryl Streep 所代表的跟风的媒体一样被讽刺。她让我想起 NPR 的 Diane Rehm Show。本来我习惯开车上班的时候听，911以后她们严肃地一点一点把话题从是否应该打仗转到一个一个政府提供的证据的讨论，最终战争成为无需讨论的结论。
整个电影就是一场令人不舒适的讨论，很多问题我曾经针对于跟战争毫无关系的我的个人生活选择问过自己。最令人是不舒适的是所有问题都只是提出了问题，并像我们在正常生活中碰到的那样没有正确答案，有的只是个人选择，政策选择。
电影打出演员表的时候，我边上的两个结伴来的文艺老太总结道：“This is short and depressing.”
不过我觉得算是个好电影。
整个电影就是一场令人不舒适的讨论，很多问题我曾经针对于跟战争毫无关系的我的个人生活选择问过自己。最令人是不舒适的是所有问题都只是提出了问题，并像我们在正常生活中碰到的那样没有正确答案，有的只是个人选择，政策选择。
电影打出演员表的时候，我边上的两个结伴来的文艺老太总结道：“This is short and depressing.”
不过我觉得算是个好电影。
云浆未饮结成冰
我跑去看伊莎白了，不是不沮丧的承认影评人这次又说对了。演员都好，本子太差。还是要赞cate blanchett，样貌虽然不是美女，可是真有气势！穿着铠甲骑在白马上鼓舞她的士兵，真让人勇于为她献身；她可真是一个好演员，影片结尾的地方，那么一个侧后方拍出来的苦涩微笑，仿佛她脸上的每一丝肌肉都会说话，表达出对于注定不是她的幸福的向往，和坚定的抛弃。
这个本子写的真是太烂了，不符合历史也就罢了，第一本伊莎白离史实貌似更加遥远；还完全没有给那么好的演员发挥的机会，真替那么好的演员的天才遗憾。
ps. 我老决定不看完gone baby gone那本书了，看了一半儿和结尾，it breaks my heart。主要是这个subject matter不是我能对付的了的事情。
这个本子写的真是太烂了，不符合历史也就罢了，第一本伊莎白离史实貌似更加遥远；还完全没有给那么好的演员发挥的机会，真替那么好的演员的天才遗憾。
ps. 我老决定不看完gone baby gone那本书了，看了一半儿和结尾，it breaks my heart。主要是这个subject matter不是我能对付的了的事情。
乡音无改鬓毛衰
Dr. Tiff you break my heart. The book is quite interesting with a number of unexpected twists.我老决定不看完gone baby gone那本书了，看了一半儿和结尾，it breaks my heart。主要是这个subject matter不是我能对付的了的事情。
The movie is worth seeing too.
Despite my bias, Casey Affleck was quite good. Actually Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman were worth the price of ticket all by themselves.此喵已死，有事烧纸