草間彌生-愛慕自己

跑去藝術中心電影院看了日本藝術家草間彌生的紀錄片叫"草間彌生-愛慕自己",英文名字是"Kusama Yayoi - I Adore Myself"。很好看的電影。 中英文名字都改得很合適，看畢也非常佩服草間彌生對自己和自己作品的鐘愛。現場，有很多笑聲的，大家都因草間彌生的認真和執著而看得非常投入。

草間彌生很直率，也是一個很認真的藝術家，我覺得不能用自信來表達她對自己作品的欣賞，因為她是打從心底裡面衷心的喜歡自己的作品，當她稱贊自己的作品時，仿佛是以第三者身份說的。我不一定喜歡她的作品，但卻深深的給她這種態度，想法，行為吸引。覺得她的人生活得很浪漫，雖然是差不多八十歲了，但是還是有一個年青的心。特別喜歡她堅持自己是“Avant-Garde Painter"的稱謂，還有非常在意自己的外表和形象，都讓我感受到她的真。有兩段她讀出自己所作的詩的時候，我的鼻子一酸，真的覺得很感動。很高兴这个晚上看了这位艺术家的故事。

All time favourite

I can't help watching it again. It was over the dinner that we talked about it and I just couldn't resist and ran over to rent it from the Movie Land. I can't say it's a great movie but definitely one with depth.

The first time I watched it, I don't think I have gotten much from it. It was mainly for leisure and for laughs. I especially love the idea of "doing nothing", and going after "single moms". (not that I support this idea but found it quite crazy to think like that.)

Then I have watched it again sometime ago, that time, I think I remember only the Godfather scene and the Dead Duck Day, it was fun and hilarious.

And then, I have watched it again, that time, the song "Killing me softly" struck into my head, since then, whenever, I hear this song anywhere, I will have this image a boy singing it with his boyish sound.

This time, I have again watched it. And this time, there is a lot more from it. Maybe my status has changed. I now can share the idea of "doing nothing" as well as counting day by units. And I noticed a lot more from the movie, the begining, "No man is island"; the restaurant scene, "I am on my own, I don't have to put anything first."; the park dialogue scene, "Do you want to touch her?"; the walking home scene, when everyone is walking towards him to work; the rock concert scene, "You are about to commit social suicide, that's why I dropped by."..... and a lot more.

This movie is dynamic and refreshing. Everyone is sort of "screw up" (to put it in Will's term), and yet, they all found their "back up". Can we all be islands? I just love this movie that refreshes our senses from a good laugh.

万家之宝 (Jun 8, 07)

六月三日去看了香港话剧团的“万家之宝”。还没开场，后面坐了一对男女讨论着话剧的发展。女的说：“今年都已经是中国话剧诞生一百周年,还在演曹禺的戏？中国的话剧那有进步过？”男的说：“也有很多人喜欢怀缅过去，欣赏旧作的。”

香港话剧团选了曹禺的"日出","北京人",原野"来结合演出叫“万家之宝”。整体的演出，我觉得是一般，但是可见导演很有意识的向曹禺致敬，是一个让人看得舒服的话剧。

说回来那段对话，我听了是有点不舒服，这几年香港的政策发展很让我有一种要超英赶美的感觉。什么教育改革，文化政策，科技发展等。难道旧的东西就是不好？要改革就非要把过去一刀切？发展就表示所有基础都要抹掉，可以一步登天？革新就容不下多元化？

老师说，历史之流须有中生有，无中生有只是自欺欺人。这个我最同意不过了。

"Don't tell me you don't have a choice!" (Feb 20, 07)

I wanted to watch "The Devil Wears Prada" for quite sometimes... finally, I got it from HMV as one of my CNY gifts.

I do like the movie and the message it sent. I like it because it didn't show me a devil nor an angel, it didn't portrait things as only in black and white. Instead, it's a fairview of our lives. A constant struggle that all mankind would face, those who follow the key and know what they want would become sucessful - life is a matter of choice.

There was one scene I thought the director is going to show us the "tragic" side of the dragon lady, Miranda, when she was in tears to tell Andrea about the need of new luncheon seating arrangement in the Paris Fashion Show because of the absence of her husband - he asked for a divorce. To my surprise, the scene didn't go as I expect, Miranda continue with her career planning trying to minimize potential "risk" from the media and all she felt sad about was her twin daughters whom for the second time will lose a father figure in their childhood! Amazing! (not that I encourage divorce or being a single mom) Because this explains why she can be Miranda, Chief Editor of Runway (the most influential fashion magazine) today!

To go further, when Andrea overheard that the big boss is planning to replace Miranda with a french editor, she worried and rushed to tell Miranda to prepare. Miranda in fact was well prepared for this, too well that she sacrificed the long-waited promotion prospect of her long time subordinate in order to secure her Chief Editor position. What attracted me was the subordinate's reaction to this annoucement. I thought he would be devastated hearing this betrayal, but not, he was calm and still kept his hope that one day his chance will come, of course, at that moment he was disappointed too. This is so realistic of what can happen in real life! and more importantly he knows what he chose!

I like this movie, because it didn't attempt to lead the audience to shed a pity on the career women, it didn't despise those who don't long for aggressive career moves. It has one message and it's consistent in the whole movie - Life is about choices and everyone can choose. From this angle, everyone is a winner in the movie and thus a happy ending. :)

The Legend of 1900 (Feb 17, 06)

with no expectation, i picked this movie from my dvd collection to pamper myself with a relaxing friday nite. movie is like an opium to me, it brings me to another world, to escape from reality. :)

the legend of 1900 is a beautiful movie, it sounds beautifully with its superb music arrangement. i am no expert in any kind of music, but you can "see" from your ears, that's how good the music is. my heart was totally submerged into the movie, i can't help crying at the end for unwanting the ending to happen. it's such a tragedy and sad in the end, but pause, what i call a tragedy may not be the same in the eyes of 1900 (the main actor in the movie).

the courage of love didn't save 1900 at the end, i wonder if this movie also tells how weak the life is when one never experienced love. he won over the world renowned father of jazz on the boat, he made thousands of passengers cheered and laughed on the boat, he brought the joy of being a father to a boring coal worker, he has everything when he sees the end (on the boat), but he loses everything when he faces an endless city. i can't help asking, what is life? what is courage? what is love? am i imposing unnecessary compassion to the scenes? i can't answer all these rationally because what i can say right now is, this is a beautiful and heart-taken movie. :)