2009年11月22日 星期日
Content
vol. 1
Theme: Comedy
Feature Article
01 The comedian of new generation
Wong Cho Lam
02 In Love with Comedy
the love in Proposal and My Life in Ruins
Actress of this month
Sandra Bullock
Movie Review
District 9
Orginal Soundtrack
A very touching moment Cape no. 7
House of this month
Manhattan Galaxy in Grand Cinema
Now on Showing Movies
New Release DVD
New Coming Movies
Original Soundtrack: A very touching moment --Cape no. 7
Cape no.7 was not a comedy, but It did have some funny elements in its movie album. Some of the songs also include the dialogues from the movie, like the beginning of track 2 "Don't wanna". But this album is not only funny, it is also touching, just like the movie.
The original soundtrack is consised of 7 letters and 8 songs. A song will follow a letter which is read by Japanese. The arrangement of the original soundtrack is same with the movie, which is to link with the songs. It makes the album prefectly match to the movie. When I listen to this album, the scene of the movie will jump up to my mind.
Special recommendation
Where did you go -
The song is singing by the aborigine. Funny thing is the harmony. They use the electric guitar and a nature vocal to finish this song, however, the song also sound unity.
A letter from my dad -
The melody is written by the daughter, who named Ciacia, and the lyric is written by her dad. This is a Japanese song, we may not really understand what is it about. But the simple harmony and the lovely vocal, which make me feel very warm.
Wu Le Bu Zuo -
This song is the main point of the film. It lead the theme of whole movie, can the band be successful? In the end of the movie, the band use this song to rock the audience. This is a song which can make you feel passion. This song can give you a picture about summer, a very crowdy beach, a blue sea and a bright sun jump up to my mind.
Here is the song list of the original soundtrack:
01. Letter one
02. Don't Wanna
03. Letter two
04. Love you to death
05. Letter three
06. Where did you go
07. Letter four
08. A letter from my dad
09. Letter five
10. Wu Le Bu Zuo
11. Letter six
12. South of the borden
13. Wild Rose
14. Letter seven/ Love letter
15. 1945
The package of the Cape no.7 Original Soundtrack
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2009年11月21日 星期六
Now On Showing
Synopsis:
Ebenezer Scrooge (JIM CARREY) begins the Christmas holiday with his usual miserly contempt, barking at his faithful clerk (GARY OLDMAN) and his cheery nephew (COLIN FIRTH). But when the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come take him on an eye-opening journey revealing truths Old Scrooge is reluctant to face, he must open his heart to undo years of ill will before it’s too late.
Trailer:
2. Law Abiding Citizens
Synopsis:
Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) is an upstanding family man whose wife and daughter are brutally murdered during a home invasion. When the killers are caught, Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx), a hotshot Philadelphia prosecutor, is assigned to the case. Nick offers one of the suspects a light sentence in exchange for testifying against his accomplice. Fast forward ten years. The man who got away with murder is found dead and Clyde Shelton coolly admits his guilt. Then he issues a warning to Nick: Either fix the flawed justice system that failed his family, or key players in the trial will die. Soon Shelton follows through on his threats, orchestrating from his jail cell a string of spectacularly diabolical assassinations that can be neither predicted nor prevented. Philadelphia is gripped with fear as Shelton’s high-profile targets are slain one after another and the authorities are powerless to halt his reign of terror. Only Nick can stop the killing, and to do so he must outwit this brilliant sociopath in a harrowing contest of wills in which even the smallest misstep means death. With his own family now in Shelton’s crosshairs, Nick finds himself in a desperate race against time facing a deadly adversary who seems always to be one step ahead.
Trailer:
3.To Live and Die in Mongkok
Synopsis:
Fai (Nick Cheung) grew up in Mongkok, where turf wars were frequently fought and gangsters killed each other mercilessly to secure their territories. Mongkok was also the place where legends and heroes were born. In the 1970s when Fai was just a teenager, everybody called him Junior. Yet he was already well known as a fearless killer among his triad society fellows. He was loyal, principled and always kept his word. When his closest friend, the cowardly Porky (Wai Ka Hung), was scared to go on a killing mission, he took his place. After the killing spree, the rookie police constable Gunner (Liu Kai Chi) went to apprehend him but was so shocked that he even dropped his gun. Junior could have chopped him to death then, but he took pity on Gunner and let him go free. Ungratefully, Gunner shot Junior at the back, and arrested him. Gunner was promoted but Junior was put in jail for 30 years.
Trailer:
4. Mother
Synopsis:
Hye-ja is a single mom to 27-year-old Do-joon. Though an adult in years, Do-joon is naive and dependent on his mother, and sometimes behaves in ways that are stupid or simply dangerous. He is a constant source os anxiety for everyone.
One day a young girl is found dead in an abandoned building and do-joon is accused of her murder. An inefficient lawyer and an apathetic police force that closes Do-joon's case too quickly inspire his mother to act on her own - to act as Mother in its purest form. Summoning all her maternal instincts and trusting no one, she sets out to find a killer and prove her son's innocence.
Trailer:
5. Pandorum
Synopsis:
In PANDORUM, Dennis Quaid (G.I.Joe, Vantage Point) and Ben Foster (3:10 to Yuma, Alpha Dog) join Cam Gigandet (Never Back Down, Twilight), Cung Le (Tekken, Fighting), newcomer Antje Traue, and director Christian Alvart(Antibodies) to tell the terrifying story of two crew members stranded on a spacecraft who quickly – and horrifically – realize they are not alone.
Two astronauts awaken in a hyper-sleep chamber aboard a seemingly abandoned spacecraft. It’s pitch black, they are disoriented, and the only sound is a low rumble and creak from the belly of the ship. They can’t remember anything: Who are they? What is their mission?
With Lt. Payton (Quaid) staying behind to guide him via radio transmitter, Bower ventures deep into the ship and begins to uncover a terrifying reality: something on the ship is hunting them. Something is hell-bent on making sure they don’t survive. He also discovers two other astronauts onboard, locked in the same nightmare – Manh (Le) and Nadia (Traue) – and together they struggle to stay alive and escape the forces trying to destroy them. Slowly the spacecraft’s shocking, deadly secrets are revealed…and the astronauts find their own survival is more important than they could ever have imagined.
Trailer:
6. 2012
Synopsis:
Never before has a date in history been so significant to so many cultures, so many religions, scientists, and governments. "2012" is an epic adventure about a global cataclysm that brings an end to the world and tells of the heroic struggle of the survivors.
A global cataclysm occurs which leads to the end of the world and has survivors struggling for their lives. The film is inspired by several hypotheses that state that the ancient Mayans predicted a doomsday event will occur sometime around the 2012 northern hemisphere winter solstice.
Trailer:
7. Michael Jackson's This Is It
Synopsis:
Michael Jackson’s THIS IS IT will offer Jackson fans and music lovers worldwide a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the performer as he developed, created and rehearsed for his sold-out concerts that would have taken place beginning this summer in London’s O2 Arena. Chronicling the months from April through June, 2009, the film is produced with the full support of the Estate of Michael Jackson and drawn from more than one hundred hours of behind-the-scenes footage, featuring Jackson rehearsing a number of his songs for the show. Audience will be given a privileged and private look at Jackson up close and personal. In row and candid detail, Michael Jackson’s THIS IS IT captures the singer, dancer, filmmaker, architect, creative genius and great artist at work as he creates and perfects his final show. Kenny Ortega, who was both Michael Jackson’s creative partner and the director of the stage show is also directing the film, which is being produced by Randy Philips, Kenny Ortega and Paul Gongaware. Executive producers are John Branca and John McClain.
Trailer:
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House of this month : Manhattan Galaxy in Grand Cinema
I think the House 6, Manhattan Galaxy, in Grand Cinema would be a good substitute choice for you.
There are 320 seats in the big theatre. Therefore, the screen is large. With my estimation by my naked eyes, the width of the screen in Manhattan Galaxy is nearly same as the one in IMAX.( While the height is a little bit shorter.) Although the theatre is only showing the 35mm film instead of imax 70mm film, the quality of the picture still be good. (In fact, I watched Tranformer 2 in this house and the picture quality is prefect!) Indeed, all the theatre in Grand Cinema has applied the infrasonic system. When the system detect the sound with very low frequency , it would vibrate the seats. The sound quality of the houses is really good.
The most wonderful thing of the house must be the price. The price for one ticket is 60 dollars. It has discount in weekdays for the shows before 6pm. The ticket price is just $40 in Tuesday. And it offers 20% off for the tickets when you buy the tickets of Manhattan Galaxy with the Manhattan credit cards.
For more details, please check the cinema pages:
http://www.thegrandcinema.com.hk/index.aspx
New Release DVD
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
Details:
(You may click on the poster to go to the online order page from HMV.)
TRANSFORMERS 2: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN
Release Date : 22 Oct 2009
Star Trek
Release Date : 30 Oct 2009
Up
Release Date : 10 Nov 2009
Accident
Release Date : 11 Nov 2009
Sunshine Cleanning
Release Date : 12 Nov 2009
Murderer
Release Date : 18 Nov 2009
April Bride
Release Date : 19 Nov 2009
My Life in Ruins
Release Date : 26 Nov 2009
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New Coming Movies
Name: Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs
Directors:Phil Lord , Chris Miller
Release Date: 2009-12-31
Genre: Comdedy , Animation
Runtime: 90 mins
The trailer of "Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs"
Summary:
Flint Lockwood, young inventor who dreams of creating something that will improve everyone's life. He invent a machine that can change the water to food. However, there is a accident when he try to turn on the machine, the machine create a lot of troubles in the town, and then fly to the sky, have no return.
Flint become the target of public criticism. But suddendly the machine have been turn on successfully, the food fall from the sky. Everyone treat Flint as a great scientist.
However, the people become greedy, machine cannot affort their need, it is out of gear, create the spaghetti typhoon, supersize meatball......There are excess amounts of food overload the cities. Flint must think of the solution to stop the food disaster!
Name: Alvin and the Chipmunks 2
Director: Betty Thomas
Release Date: 2009-12-24
Genre: Comdedy , Animation
The trailer of "Alvin and the Chipmunks 2"
Summary:
The pop sensations Alvin, Simon and Theodore put aside their music superstardom, and return to school. They are tasked with saving the school's music program by winning the $25000 prize in a battle of the bands. They also meet their match-- Brittany, Eleanor and Jeanette. The procedure about their romantic and musical are funny.
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Actress: Sandra Bullock
Name: Sandra Annette Bullock
Born: July 26, 1964
Years active 1986–present
Nationality: Amercian
Occupation: Actress, Producer
Spouse: Jesse G. James
fans club: http://www.sandrabullockcentral.com/
http://www.wix.com/cereslam/sandra/
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2009年11月20日 星期五
Feature Article: The comedian of new generation-- Wong Cho Lam
Wong Cho Lam is a comedian who become very famuos in a short time. He played the funny role in the TV first, and finally became a comedy star in 2009. Somebody said Wong Cho Lam is the successor of Eric Tsang, who is the senior statesma of comedian in Hong Kong.
Wong Cho Lam, born at 9th Jun, 1980. He study at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (APA), major in act, and received First Honor Graduation. When he was in college, he followed the dubbing artist Paul Lo to dub for the movie and advertisement, after that, he worked for the Radio Television Hong Kong to do the Radio drama.
When he was graduated from APA, he worked for TVB and became a dubbing artist in Children Channel. At 2007, he played a role in the TV drama “Best Selling Secrets”, and than his talent of playing comedy was being excavated.
In 2009, he became the main character of a comedy “Short of Love”. It is the first time that Wong Cho Lam play the main character in the movie. The comedy is about a rich man who want to find the true love.
For the first time play the main character, Wong Cho Lam said that he did feel stressful, but not for the box office. "I am afraid that I cannot perform it well. Because this role is written for me." Wong said.
To give a introduction about his role, Wong said that this man is a very pompous, rich and lewd man. "He think he is a superman, you may think that this role has a distance with the normal people. However, I think that people will be see some false impression about themselves. So he try to involve in others life, see how can find himself in others people's view. "
The role is so disagreeable, Wong did feel some struggle about playing this role. But he wil try to reject some dialogue which are too disturbed him. "I will ask not to say those dialogue. Because the main rule is to express how despicable the character is, if I can do this, there is not need to say that dialogue."
And Wong said he use a very exaggerated way to express his role this time. "There is a lot of types of comedy. I will see how the role is, and choose different way to express. If I know that dialogue of the role is humorous enough, I will not be that bustling. But if I know the role is required a very exaggerated way to make you laugh, I will do that way. I want the audience to know that exaggerated is not the only way for comedian. Like Steven Chow, he is not always in exaggerating, but he is still funny. Exaggerating is a tool that I've got, but not the only."
Differenet with the supporting role, to be a main character, you must make the audience laugh in the whole movie. To achieve this goal, Wong said that he try to use different way to express the feeling. "There is a not of way to make a comedy. One is character, two is the scene, three is the dialogue, four is the action. In the "Shoet of Love", I use different way with different character. For example, I have a scene about table dance with Race, we can play a lot in action. And I have a very serious love story with Kate, this is scene."
Finally he emphasize that a comedian must need good acting skills. "For comedy, everybody watch that movie because of the character. A completed character must have a good acting skills, so they can repersent the grow of the character. There is a rule of the comedian, like a sissy to be a very strong man, a spineless mand to be a confident man, etc. You can fumble these if you do not have a good skills. You cannot produce a profound comedian without any comedy foundation."
Wong Cho Lam did try to be stupid in playing some roles, but indeep, he know that what he want and what he should do clearly. It is happy that Hong Kong have more and more comdian who have talent. When we are facing a lot of pressure outside, we all need some actors like Wong Cho Lam.
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Feature Article: In love with Comedy - the love in Proposal and My Life in Ruins
In this summer, there is several love comedies keeps on showing week by week. It seems that love comedy would not be too much for the audiences. I had watched two of them, My Life in Ruins and Proposal. And I find a quite interesting phenomenon: Hollywood love comedies always have the same formula. The loves always happen in the same way. The two protagonists are always having arguments or do not have any feelings towards each other at first. They start to care and be attracted by each other when some issues had happened. Then, the two protagonists must overcome some obstacles together and go out with each other. (Some couples are even getting married.) What ‘s a happy ending.
Take the two films s the examples.
Free website - Wix.com
http://www.wix.com/cereslam/proposal_cs-magazine
Free website - Wix.com
http://www.wix.com/cereslam/mylifeinruins_cs-magazine
Movie Review: District 9
Cineaste rating: 8/10
IMDb rating: 8.4/10
Story Synopsis:
In 1990, a massive star ship bearing a bedraggled alien population, nicknamed "The Prawns," appeared over Johannesburg, South Africa. 20 years later, the initial welcome by the human population has faded. The refugee camp where the aliens were located has deteriorated into a militarized ghetto called District 9, where they are confined and exploited in squalor. In 2010, the munitions corporation, Multi-National United, is contracted to forcibly evict the population with operative Wikus van der Merwe(starred by Sharlto Copley) in charge. In this operation, Wikus is exposed to a strange alien chemical and must rely on the help of his only two new 'Prawn' friends.
Produced by the director of Lord of the Rings, District 9 seems to have a good start in the market. People start to pretend the work having great budget, fascinating CG effect and well-known casts etc. However, District 9 is directed by a young director Neill Blomkamp with novice actors. In fact, it can be regard as an anti media imperialism Hollywood film. While there are tons of works in Hollywood depict how aliens is destroying the world and attacking human being, Blomkamp has chosen another road. Instead of depicting the disaster from aliens, Blomkamp’s script put more effort on the dark side of human.
Human always engaged with the word “power”, even an ordinary people have his power over others species. The main protagonist Wikus is a typical ordinary people. A white collar who felt confident about his job, be a little bit selfish, cares about his family. It is similar as you and I. When he treats the “Prawns”, he imperializes the Prawns subconsciously. (In the world that the story constructed, everyone was taught to be like that.) The case shows how the power of discourse spreads and works within human societies. People engaged with more power, it shows they use more discourse to control others where other are unconscious about it. It reminds me that there is a Korean film talking about similar issue, The Host (2006). (Interestingly, one of the selling points of the Host also related to Lord of the Rings, the monster in the film is created by the CG Company which works in the LOTR.)
The Host (2006)
In the Host, the subordinate family also be scarified by the power authority while the authority always promtes all the thing they done are good for others. In fact, it works even when the “Prawns” are replaced by any subordinates, other species, things or even subordinate group of people. Like the case in the Host, the discourse works with the subordinate family, which they are caught and separate from the public in order to “protect” them.
The transformation of Wikus highlights the otherization which the director wants to announce wonderfully. Human always make distinction between we and others. Therefore, the transformation of Wikus blurred the boundary between human and alien, it threatens people in the film. The depiction of the otherization issue in District 9 is much more successful than that in the Host. By the way, the director of the Host put more effort on the sensation of the film while District 9 works on the introspection. It is interesting to see two different world cinema talking about similar ideas with different styles.
Another special point of District 9 is that the film is filmed with the style of documentary. Many shots are filmed with a hand camera. It pretends to interview many different people about the issue. (In fact, all of them are actors.) The whole film is made as a documentary about district 9 and Wikus. The use of documentary style helps to bring out the messages. It is also easier for audience to have the introspections about the topics. This style of Hollywood film is interesting, but some hand-camera shot make me feel dizzy. I suggest all of you don’t eat too much before watching the film.