So, see how important Brad Pitt is to me? He is not just a hunk. He is my mentor.

http://www.generationterrorists.com/quotes/river.html
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105265/

]]> http://blog.roodo.com/ellacf/archives/1423018.html http://blog.roodo.com/ellacf/archives/1423018.html Movie Sun, 16 Apr 2006 13:31:51 +0800 I wonder why English movie titles always suit much more than translated Chinese ones given by the local dealers. Can our people one day understand more metaphysical conecpts ?
‘The Constant Gardener’ refers to the social contributors and the film would be meaningless after all without this binding concept. I am so fastidious about things like this.  

Ralph Fiennes (Justin) is placid and charming when Rachel Weisz (Tessa) performs excellently, no wonder she won an Oscar. Leave alone the soundtrack by Alberto Iglesias, I would like to buy the album as soon as possible. The cinematography is too beautiful to comfort the spirit and it smells of entertainment. However, the messages conveyed still come out.  

We couldn't all be fervent social contributors, but at least we can try to comprehend. The eclectics tend to admire those who truly pursue their dreams, so it's always good to see the constant gardeners.

Movie Review: ...the movie seems to slowly draw you in and hooks you as you go along with Justin. It challenges the viewer to see the poverty and forces you to face your own complacency in the world. So as Justin gains wisdom and is forced out of his complacency….. it is like Meireilles is turning the mirror towards the audience and asking them "Do you see what's happening in the world? What are you going to do about it?"

The Constant Gardener
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387131/ 
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/constant_gardener/trailers.php

Movie Review: Most musicals about love at least try to sell the emotion as an all-encompassing, grand feeling that all but defines life. Perhaps Love does not sell love as the ultimate empowerment, but instead portrays it realistically, as the complex, alluring, tortuous, and sometimes crippling emotion that it is.

My favorite lines:

'Would you love me if I was not a director?' says the director.

'Remember the person who loves you the most in the world is yourself.' the couple says to each other.

http://www.perhapslovemovie.com

]]> http://blog.roodo.com/ellacf/archives/1211892.html http://blog.roodo.com/ellacf/archives/1211892.html Movie Mon, 06 Mar 2006 04:47:19 +0800 I like people who say it's an artsy fartsy bohemian movie. And I love it when he says "We're not gonna pay rent, 'cause everything is rent."
No day but today. Viva La Vie Boheme!

http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/rent/psp
http://www.rentmoviesoundtrack.com
Jonathan Larson (Feb 4, 1960 - Jan. 25, 1996)

Derek Luke and Denzel Washington
in the film 'Antwone Fisher', 2002

This is a story about an angry young man, who finally meets someone who refuses to be frightened away from him and is forced to come to grips with himself.
http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2453771

Denzel Washington's directorial debut involves the touching story of a sailor (Derek Luke) who, prone to violent outbursts, is sent to a naval psychiatrist for help. Refusing at first to open up, the young man eventually breaks down and reveals a horrific childhood. Through the guidance of his doctor, he confronts his painful past and begins a quest to find the family he never knew.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0168786/
http://movies.about.com/od/antwonefisher/


I've often been moved by the movies that are based on true stories. This movie said something about how a person was affected by the memories of his childhood.  I like these two guys in the film very much because of thier genuineness, so true and warm. 

Gee...As time goes by, I increasingly understand Freud more.

在姊姊的催促下看了這部真實故事改編的電影, 劇情大致是描述四個被父母遺棄的孩子, 為了不被拆散而獨自在都市裡求生存, 他們生活在一間窄小的公寓房子裡, 到故事末了也從未被這個社會發現過, 即使是其中最小的妹妹在屋子裡摔死了也一樣, 孩子們默默地將她埋葬, 默默地接受了自己的命運. 據說在真實世界裡, 剩下的三個孩子最終因無法繼續求生也結束了自己的生命, 直到死後才讓人發現, 並由片中的女中學生把他們曾經如何存在過的故事告訴世人.

導演的拍攝手法很有禪意, 從頭到尾看不到孩子們的哭泣, 也見不到任何憤世忌俗的社會批判, 孩子們勾人的雙眸與無邪的微笑代替了一切, 那忽來的鋼琴配樂與孩子的歌聲雲淡風輕地帶過這讓人難以一笑置之的社會案件. 我彷彿看到現代版的螢火蟲之墓, 只是用更寫實卻又更詩意的方式呈現在我們的眼前.

說真的, 想哭, 我也哭不出來. 只要隔著一塊毛玻璃看著這個真實世界的殘忍, 一切就可以是如此幽幽淡淡的, 東方的哲思如焚香般在心中罩起一個防護的網, 不讓早已過於沉重的心靈陷入那駭人的深淵.

為那曾經存在過的四個天真而善良的靈魂, 致上最真切的祝福, 願你們安息.  

http://www.darkhorizons.com/2005/brokebackmountain.php

相關文章

Recent news has strongly drawn my attention. Research held in Southern California has just revealed that the brains of habitual liars are wired differently. Genetically talented liars do exit and they have structural brain abnormalities. They have more tools to lie coupled with fewer moral restraints. The researchers said:

Lying takes a lot of efforts. It’s almost like mind reading. You have to understand the mindset of the other person. You also have to suppress your emotions or regulate them because you don’t want to appear nervous. There’s quite a lot to do there. You’ve got to suppress the truth.

When people make moral decisions, they are relying on the prefrontal cortex.… If these liars have a 14 percent reduction in gray matter (in their brains), that means that they are less likely to care about moral issues or are less likely to be able to process moral issues. Having more gray matter would keep a check on these activities.

http://www.medpagetoday.com/Psychiatry/GeneralPsychiatry/tb/1852 
http://www.usc.edu/uscnews/stories/11655.html 

Don't you find this threatening? Liars are born to be liars. I was just thinking to improve my lying skills to protect myself from those deceivers, but now it seems that I will never be that good. My efforts could be in vain. That kind of abilities should be a gift anyway.

http://www.bbcworld.com/content/talkingmovies_archive_15_2005.asp?pageid=665&co_pageid=6
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386342/

Some quotes from the director Susanne Bier:

"What basically appealed to me was the dilemma. Somebody does something that he never thought was possible, something which is just totally against everything he believes in, and he's still a human being afterwards. I think that could happen to any of us, on a more or lesser scale.

In the movie it's a very distinct, very harsh question. But basically I believe it could happen to any of us, and that was my main interest."

"I had questions about human relationships, I had questions about love, I had questions about whether love is just about a man and a woman loving each other, or is it about more like a universal love? And where is somebody's breaking point? How are we able to reach out? How well-equipped are we to understand each other? They were some of the questions."

Apart from the movie itself, the younger brother Nikolaj Lie Kaas is so young and so handsome and charming, exactly the type I like - rebellious, melancholy, self-content and fun loving. Oh, Lord, now you finally know I need another cute guy to admire, good job! 

What a sensitive hunk!

]]> http://blog.roodo.com/ellacf/archives/936621.html http://blog.roodo.com/ellacf/archives/936621.html Movie Sat, 31 Dec 2005 03:56:20 +0800 (繼續閱讀...) ]]> This afternoon I dyed my hair back to black, which made me look like a college girl again. I got the feeling that I resemble myself today more than yesterday. Weird but true.

Lin asked me out but I didn't go. Since curling myself up into the sofa and watching a DVD seemed a better idea for tonight.
This is what I watched: http://www.crashfilm.com/

Usually I don't like to relate to serious subjects, but this time, the humanistic touch of the film 'Crash' did move me quite a lot. It approaches sociological questions like prejudice and racism philosophically. If you pay attention to the soundtrack and the graceful frozen frames, you will understand what I mean. Extremely poetic.

I like the catchword: 'Moving at the speed of life, we are bound to collide with each other.' Isn't that so right? We do crash into each other sometimes in our lives. On some ocassions, we truly need an invisible angel to protect us from a big shock.
Having fun in reading others' reviews. Just quote some as below:

-  People are insulting other people without knowing him/her. We see small glimpses of each character but every character is complex, filled and personally I felt related to them all.

-  No one character was free from prejudice (except perhaps the child) and that no one incident could be fully understood in isolation.

-  Whether we realize it or not, that we take part in each day, and that, despite our weaknesses, we are capable of amazing acts of courage, and, despite our goodness, we are capable of much evil, any of which transcends color, country of origin, religious belief, or economic status.

If only most of us can take things with such insightful and sympathetic awareness displayed in this movie. Lucky enough that there is still a host of people who have view the world through their tender loving hearts. =)

 Veronica Guerin with her family in the real life / BBC News

看這部電影的時候內心有許多感慨，我可以了解她那種堅持理想的熱情，以及社會投以的冷漠與譏諷，也可以深刻感受到在暴力威脅下的恐懼，當你面對突如其來且完全出乎意料的暴力時，身為一個女人心中的恐懼與悲慟是相當巨大的，也因此我被Veronica 的精神深深感動。

生活在都市中，擁抱理想往往受人嘲笑，關心你的人通常會為你擔憂，惡劣的人則會毫不掩飾他們等著看好戲的心態 ，有時覺得不如只要將自己穿帶時髦漂亮，簡單就可以博得較多數人的認同，只是缺少了理想，人只是個空洞的個體；當然，我做不到像Veronica 做的那樣偉大，但是我擔憂自己失去如同Veronica 追夢的決心，我們都期待這個社會更好，可是如果我們只是隨波逐流，關心旁人怎麼看怎麼說，又如何能實現自己的理想呢?

台灣的環境這兩年愈來愈混亂，不要說政壇那些痞子了，所謂知識份子如我通常也只在乎吃喝玩樂，我聽到大家都在感慨，可是有心為這個社會做點什麼的人似乎不多，我想說，讓我們從追求一個真實的理想開始吧！做品牌的好好把品牌做起來，能創作的努力創作，可以把事業推出去的就努力推，但是不要忘記了這一切真正的意義在於，讓我們真的站在自己的崗位為這塊土地做一些事...

白天都在整理資料準備公司架網站的事，掃描圖片的同時還會翻翻手邊的雜誌，對藝術拍賣的相關報導感到很有興趣，只是資訊太多一時也吸收不完，等讀的較有系統的時候再來做筆記。生活、理想、知識、運用...我的耳邊不停的嗡嗡嗡....這兩天身體出現一些異狀，看來真的不得不跑一趟醫院了，願老天保佑我囉！