Tuesday, July 31, 2007

變形金剛

看《變形金剛》(Transformers)大電影前,先看了一點影評,《蘋果日報》副刊和邁克專欄都說,交,打得太快,「五步一小打,十步一大打」,一次睇唔晒。

好,到真正落場睇,前大部份都在詳細交待博派、狂派前來地球打架,美國國防部緊張應變,一如《天煞》等外星災難戲的鋪排,基本上冇乜交打,只是個別狂派機械人和美軍對戰及音波Frenzy的刺探行為,和博派機械人「大黃蜂」 (Bumblebee)和大學生Sam的交情。笑位反而幾多。

電影的機械人主角,是大黃蜂和Frenzy。後段柯柏文大戰麥加登,只打了幾手,完全唔夠喉。

令人眼花撩亂是變身的特技太目眩,飛沙走石充滿畫面。但沒有理由跟不上節奏。

柯柏文「拯救人類」的一段「深情義氣表白」有點肉麻。不說可以嗎?

電影對人類科技、軍事技術的描繪好像表現出以往電影沒有的自信,人類對「外星人」不感到莫大的神秘和恐懼,且頗有幽默(例如Sector 7人員成竹在胸的表現),沒有了以往電影那種力有不逮的感覺(大概是由於博派是人類朋友吧)。

這是一次十分滿足的觀影。

Monday, July 30, 2007

Cutie & Sexy

帶著呻吟和喘息嬌聲的歌曲"je t'aime... moi non plus"(1968),由法國才子Serge Gainsbourg創作,原本作要與妻子Brigitte Bardot(碧姬芭鐸)合唱,結果變成和新情人Jane Birkin的情歌。模擬高潮的唱腔惹來禁播。歌曲在1969年登上Top of the Pops第2位。如下:



本來在網上要找的是電影Death Proof的片尾曲"Chick Habit",結果找來歌曲原裝法文版"Laisse Tomber Les Filles",同樣由Serge Gainsbourg創作,由一個名叫France Gall的法國女歌星於1964年主唱。Death Proof的版本由美國indie pop女唱作歌手April March(有趣的名字)改編成"Chick Habit",屬1995年作品。兩個版本均是Cutie & Sexy。

"Laisse Tomber Les Filles":



"Chick Habit"@April March's MySpace



France Gall & April March

Saturday, July 21, 2007

好歌(及MV)重溫:When we we're together

十年前一場浪漫風暴,雨橫風狂,倏忽而過,現在人們也許忘了,也許不。

已經轉型做田園詩人(或稱英國版區瑞強)的Louis Eliot,十幾年前曾和隊友Johnny Bull以Kinky Machine名義出現,後解體重組成Rialto,帶來一系列充滿電影感的愛情流行曲。Louis細膩達意的歌詞,功力不比Jarvis Cocker遜色。像"Monday Morning 5.19", "Dream another dream", "Untouchable"等,均是同名大碟內的classic pop tunes。第二張大碟Night on Earth,走techno路線,惜掀不起話題,但碟內如"Catherine", "Failing in love", "I drove the car that took my love away",仍是不可多得的一流ballad,纏綿悱惻,猶像一首首愛情電影的插曲。

MV同樣首首精品。"When we're together"講述一名痴情男子日夜跟蹤及偷拍心上女子,如此題材落在Jarvis Cocker手上,會變成如"Pencil Skirt"那種偷窺偷妻的寫實諷刺作品,而在英國Albert Au手上,則變得十分emotional,浪漫和電影化。

烈日正酷,浪漫風暴消逝之時,更覺那首風行一時的"Summer's Over"愁腸百轉。



The lights come on, I track her moves:
locking the door, crossing the room.
She's on the phone again, and when she laughs
I feel my blood rushing - I feel my blood rush to my heart...

I call her up and disconnect, wait by her house once more to check,
stare through the window of her kitchenette,
and then I follow her down underground escalators,
hiding behind my newspaper until the time
when we're together.

So here we are, alone again;
I'm in the dark, she's in her frame, her window bay.

I play the film back through my mind
with a few new scenes I've designed;
maybe I'll write her one or two more lines,
and then I'll follow her down underground escalators,
hiding behind my newspaper
until the time when we're together.

Together, together, together, together...

Together, when we're together,
Together, when we're together,
Together...

鼓掌

上映前看了一點影評,說塔倫天奴(Quentin Tarantino)的Death Proof口水多過茶,該影評寫了洋洋千幾二千字,證實該影評人才是口水多過茶。(其實他只不過將劇情講述一次,好證實導演確是文戲太多了。)

個人認為,以上評論出自男人。蓋若本片如沒有那些女人口水戲,沒有鋪敍,就像sex without foreplay,一來便hardcore,應該很dry。

總沒可能個幾兩個鐘全部飛車戲吧,那還不如去看賽車。

兩場飛車戲,第一場短,爆發力強。第二場分兩part,互相追逐,更扣人心弦,尤其是復仇一場,看得興奮。

出字幕時,忍不住和其他觀眾鼓了掌。

Friday, July 20, 2007

蒼涼

看章詒和的《最後的貴族》(往事並不如煙),在疏淡的筆觸下,埋藏著不可抑止的蒼涼。

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Suede "Heroine"歌曲藏毒考及其他

"Heroine"是否歌曲藏毒,看看這個生字便知道,Heroin者海洛英,至於Heroine,則是英文中"hero"的女性稱謂,不辯自明。此猜測想必來自前作"Animal Nitrate"及"Sleeping pills"等大量implicit及explicit的毒品references,令人對此歌也想入非非。

另外,有人認為此歌和妓女有關,蓋歌詞出現脫衣( Discarding her clothes in the plastic flowers...)、色情( Pornographic and tragic in black and white...)及成年( I'm 18, I need my heroines...)等字眼。但翻查網上資料,發現以下這一段link頗為中的,認為歌曲展示的是成長之中對女性概念的形成,如來自瑪麗蓮夢露的黑白艷照,而這些女性,則又是命運悲劇的主角人物。

"The song is based from the Lord Byron poem which begins with the same line, "she walks in beauty, like the night".

This song really doesn't have anything to do with a prostitute. It's more about a boy who is becoming a man (I'm eighteen and I need my heroines) identifying his notions of women with his female idols - who are actresses and pin-up girls pinned to his wall. These women are traditional femmes fatale, as shown by the reference to Raphaella, the pre-Raphaelite princess. Femmes fatale have traditionally shown up in art as symbols of the downfall of men, which is evident by his "dying." Yes, Anderson and Butler are quite arty in their references."

Brett Anderson歌詞:

She walks in beauty like the night
Discarding her clothes in the plastic flowers
Pornographic and tragic in black and white
My Marilyn come to my slum for an hour

I'm aching to see my heroine
I'm aching been dying for hours and hours

She walks in the beauty of a magazine
Complicating the boys in the office towers
Rafaella or Della the silent dream
My Marilyn come to my slum for an hour

I'm aching to see my heroine
I'm aching been dying for hours and hours,
been dying for hours and hours

She walks in beauty like the night
Hypnotising the silence with her powers
Armageddon is bedding this picture alright
My Marilyn come to slum for an hour

I'm aching to see my heroine
Aching, been dying for hours and hours
I'm 18, I need my heroines
Aching, been dying for hours
Oh and I'm never alone now
Now I'm with her




Lord Byron原詩:

SHE walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellow'd to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impair'd the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling place.

And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!

有趣的是,Lord Byron原詩要兩句連讀才成意思(因第一句尾沒有標點):SHE walks in beauty, like the night of cloudless climes and starry skies,意像是漆黑中散發光明,如單以「黑夜」形容如水清澈、美麗如花的女性,則變成不知所云,和下文意思斷裂。Brett Anderson卻斷章取義,截取第一句"SHE walks in beauty, like the night",卻和歌曲的暗黑點調子配合,所描女性,亦由高貴優雅、溫柔婉約形像,轉化成少年房中牆上的黑白女明星艷照,由高上而下流,由(真正深刻的)古典至(近世淺薄的)懷舊,是不是有點坎普(camp)?無論如何,Brett當年的Glam,在今天看來無疑是坎普的傑作。