At work, I and a group of friends share an external hard drive for downloaded movies, mp3, TV series, etc. We take parts in downloading torrents off the web. Some download TV series, some other download movies. I take care of mp3 and movies sometimes. Last night it was my turn taking the hard drive home, copy new stuffs off from the disk and update the disk with my latest download. Most of time, I contribute to the disk more than using the disk. There is just not enough time to watch all the downloads. I have a very bad habit every time I take the drive home. I like to sample the new downloads. I would start the new TV series in the disk, trying to get a feeling in what’s on TV in HK these days. Once I started the first episode, it is hard to stop. I keep watch one episode after another. I have to blame this on TVB’s script writers. At the end of each episode, they always leave a cliff hanger to keep the audience watching. The TVB series are mostly soap operas, plots are built from the usual few templates. It is just a waste of time, yet I wasted my time watching them. I guess I should refrain myself from my curiosity, don’t open the first episode next time I got the hard drive.
Yearly Archives: 2007
Bridge to Terabithia 尋找仙境之橋
千萬不要給這齣電影的預告片騙了﹐這齣電影不是「魔戒」﹐ 不是「哈利波特」﹐更加不是Narnia。「尋找仙境之橋」並不是魔幻冒險的故事﹐而是一齣講述兩個小孩子純真友誼﹐以及探討死亡與生命意義的感人故事。這齣電影改篇自Katherine Paterson的兒童小說。這本小說的評價很兩極化﹐在外國有些學校這書是英文科指定讀物﹐但在另一些保守地方的學校局﹐則把它與「哈利波特」同例為禁書。當然今次迪士尼製作的電影版﹐目標是家庭觀眾市場﹐己儘量淡化具爭議性的內容﹐取而代之是用先進電腦特技﹐讓小孩子幻想出來的仙境世界呈現觀眾眼前。
故事發生在美國鄉間的一個小鎮﹐男主角是個五年級生﹐家境清貧但甚有繪畫天份。他在學校只是個毫不起眼的學生﹐還時 常給校內的惡霸欺負。他的鄰居搬來了一個從市城來的女孩﹐並與他在在同一班上課。這個活潑開朗滿腦子鬼主意的女孩﹐改變了男孩的平淡生活。他們在學校一起聯手對付惡霸﹐放學後在房子後面的樹林遊戲﹐幻想創作出仙境王國Terabithia。小男孩小女孩自封為王帝與王后﹐破舊樹屋成為他們的城堡﹐領養回來的小狗是忠心的騎士﹐青蜓蜜蜂是他們王國的臣民。他們率領國民保衛仙境﹐扺抗黑暗惡魔派來的入侵者﹐化身成為怪獸的松鼠﹐冒充巨人的樹妖。在這片仙境樂土﹐這兩小無猜渡過了不少快樂驚險的下午。有一天音樂老師帶小男孩入城去參觀博物館﹐他想多親近暗戀的音樂老師﹐沒有叫小女孩一同前往。而在當天小女孩獨自前住仙境時﹐不慎跌入河中遇溺。小男孩為小女孩的死自責內咎﹐故事最精采感人的地方﹐就是講述小男孩如何從死亡的陰影中走出來﹐如何開竅為自己找到救贖﹐讓小女孩永遠活在仙境之中。
這電影前半部充滿趣怪童真﹐兩個小孩子幻想出來的仙境世界﹐把成年觀眾也帶回年少無知時﹐讓我們懷緬在小學時常發的白日夢。電影後半部的心情卻一百八十度逆轉﹐特別是突然而來小女孩的死亡﹐完全沒有給任何心理準備。戲中只是輕輕帶過事發經過﹐沒有駭人的死亡鏡頭特寫﹐卻給觀眾心理上極大的震憾﹐質問上天為什麼會容許這樣不幸的事情發生。小男孩從大人口中得知好朋友離世﹐一時間還接受不了現實。他在對死亡只是一知半解的情況下參加喪禮﹐還反問父親不信耶穌的小女孩會不會下地獄。他在學校與取笑小女孩的同學打架﹐給老師叫了出走廊訓話﹐結果老師也忍不住哭起來。死亡是一個十分沉重的課題﹐很多成年人也沒法好好面對﹐一個五年級的小學生如何面對呢﹖ 小男孩沒有選擇逃避忘記﹐他在小女孩遇溺的小溪上﹐為小女孩起了一條通往仙境的橋。這齣電影很適合每個有親友過世的人觀看﹐觀眾可以從小男孩身上得到不少啟發﹐學懂如何去面對死亡。我不是一個眼淺的人﹐但看這齣電影時﹐不禁也有一點兒眼濕濕。這是一齣可以觸動心靈的電影﹐絕對值得推介。
Demonoid.com
Demonoid.com is probably the best torrent download site out there in the internet. It is very resouceful, it has lots of latest music, movies, TV eposides, books and especially audio books. Unlike other open to all torrent sites, demonoid.com keep tracks of the download/upload ratio of the user. It will enforce the sharing rule that you have to give back your bandwidth to the torrent community. As a result, they limit the number of users to avoid infrastruture overloaded Thereforethe site does not open to registration most of the time. Unregistered users only allow to download the torrent files from the past few days. Like the early days of gmail, new registration is allow only by invitation. Although the website policy forbid selling of invitation code, but the code is selling $15 a piece on ebay, and they are sold fast. Today, I am so lucky that I came across the rare occassion that demonoid.com opens for registration. I seize this chance at once, create an account and start downloading. It is like entering a gold mine of digital information. Probably they will close the registration in a few hours once the quota is used up. If you like downloading torrents, go there and register before it is too later.
Project Blue Earth SOS 地球計劃
「地球計劃SOS」是一套很獨特的動畫﹐作畫採用六七十年代的復古科幻風格(Retro Style)﹐在今天充滿著後現代主義元素的動畫界中別樹一格。這套動畫不論是配樂﹐片頭中的人物介紹﹐劇中機械的設計﹐故事劇情的編排﹐人物設定﹐過場時鏡頭運用﹐也流露出讓人熟識的懷舊氣息。六集一小時的OVA畫功十分精細﹐劇中用大量電腦特技﹐ 動作場面緊湊流暢﹐把上世紀流行的科幻劇集﹐完美地重組在觀眾的眼前。也許新一代的觀眾會覺得這套動畫老土落伍﹐但對於老一輩的科幻迷﹐這種風格是心底的一個情意結﹐可以讓我們緬懷過去﹐憶起年少時初接觸B級科幻作品的歲月。
這套動畫的故事劇情﹐對於熟識中古科幻世界的觀眾﹐完全沒有驚喜﹐但可卻感覺到十分滿足。所有科幻應該出現的元素﹐都忠實地呈現在故事當中。主線是例牌的外星人侵略地球﹐世界各地出現神秘失蹤事件後﹐外星人現身要求地球無條件投降。聯合國的正規軍例牌不堪一擊﹐防衛地球的重任﹐就落在由博士領導﹐擁有人類最高科技結晶的迷官機關。外星人的飛碟是最傳統的圓形設計﹐也有射出圈圈的光線槍。地球的方面的軍力﹐則有我們悉的要塞都市﹐尖且細長的火箭戰機﹐以及Telsa發電槍。主角是兩個天材科學少年﹐一個是城中巨賈的兒子﹐另一個則是父母相亡的孤兒﹐兩人合力發明出很多對付外星人的發寶。女主角當然有博士的女兒﹐是其中一個男主角青梅竹馬的女朋友。另一個女主角相信大家也估到﹐沒錯就是外星人公主了。配角還有給外星人擄去改造成不死身﹐但離奇逃脫的帥哥王牌機師﹐也有表面是小主角的私人教師﹐但實際是無敵特務的美女。接下來的故事介簡不用多說了﹐迷官機關地破解外星人的連串陰謀﹐但始終勢孤力弱﹐地球還慢慢落入外星人手上。主角們與時間競賽﹐掀開外星人的秘密﹐最後大團圓結局﹐成功保衛地球。
在眾多以外星人侵略地球為題才的科幻劇中﹐保衛地球對抗外星人的責任﹐通常可以分為兩大類。在第一類作品中﹐不論主角是善良正義的外星人﹐還是主角偶然拾到外星科技遺物﹐地球人必須依靠外星力量才能保衛地球。在第二類作品中﹐人類則依靠自己的科技力量﹐去對抗外星人的侵略。這兩類不同保衛地球的方法﹐在故事突出的中心思想也有所不同。前者會比較主張和平主義﹐認為人類與外星人可以友好共存﹐地球有吸引外星人留下來的溫情友愛。後者著重則描寫人類爭扎求存﹐可歌可泣克服萬難的奮鬥故事。我自己偏好第二類的故事多些﹐我很奇怪的會為全人類萬眾一心對抗外敵﹐把握在千分之一的機會﹐從扭轉劣勢反敗為勝而感動。「地球計劃SOS」屬於並不常見的第三類﹐原來外星人竟然地球人﹐不幸掉進宇宙的時間夾縫中﹐經過漫長歲月的進化後﹐現在回來母星尋找生命的根源。本是同根生﹐相煎何太急﹐既然是同宗同祖的遠親﹐人類與外星人握手言和也不是很困難的事。在科幻世界中﹐外星人侵略地球的故事很多﹐可以為什麼沒有地球人侵略外星球的故事呢﹖
Photography
It seems photography is becoming the default hobbies of many guys as well as some girls. Tonight I met with three old friends, all of them got digital SLR cameras and all quite into taking pictures. Digital SLR turns photography from an expensive hobbies into an hobbies affordable to the mass. You don’t need to spend hundreds dollars on films and developing the negative. An entry level SLR and a decent computer with a large harddisk can get you a long way. Photo sharing website let people show off their pictures, which satisfy man’s desire to express himself. There are some skills involved in photography, but most of it are just experience and a spark of creative talent. Since the judgement of a good photo is subjective, everyone can please themselve by self proclaim to be a master photographer. You can always pick an aspect that makes your photos better in comparison. Photography is a convineint way to satisfy ones ego.
My question is that out of the thousands and thousands of photos taken, how many of them will never see the light again? If most pictures are just sitting in the hard disk without any purpose, what’s the point of taking all those pictures? A picture may worth a thousand words, however a man can cognitively receive so much information at a time. Overload the visual senses of your viewers with hundreds of pictures not as efficient as a few dozens quality pictures each with their own stories.