Yearly Archives: 2008

電影

10000 BC 公元前一萬年

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10000 BC給公司派了去印度公幹﹐每個週未也要煩惱有什麼節目。這個週未約了兩個印度同事去街﹐體驗普通印度年輕人如何過週未。其實印度人同香港人一樣﹐週未不外是行街吃飯看電影。原本我想看套印度Bollywood的電影﹐不過發現原來沒有英文字幕﹐以及印度同事喜歡西片﹐決定買飛看這套「公元前一萬年」。印度的電影院同香港的差不多﹐一樣是大銀幕高背椅﹐大堂有販賣汽水爆谷的小吃部。唯一不同的地方是電影播到一半﹐戲院會忽然亮起燈關掉放映機﹐原來是中場休息時間﹐很體貼地讓觀眾上廁所解決需要。

三個大男人看電影的要求很簡單﹐不用理會攝影藝術感人情節﹐只需要緊張刺激動作迫人。「公元前一萬年」中有大量電腦技﹐沒有多餘的文戲﹐差不多全部都是動作場面﹐完全付合我們的基本要求。電影開那場原始人大戰長毛象﹐就拍得非常精彩好看。電影的故事極之簡單﹐話說主角的部落本是與世無爭﹐平時閒來靠打獵長毛象為生。某一天有外族入侵﹐擄走了很多族人和女主角﹐於是主角同幾個伙伴就千里迢迢去救人。由雪山追到森林﹐從森林追到沙漠﹐打完長毛象打恐龍﹐打完恐龍打長牙豹。旅途中遇上了其他同樣族人被擄的部落﹐救人隊伍由原來的幾個人越加越多人﹐一大班土人原始人浩浩蕩蕩去救人。原來那些外族捉了俘虜回來﹐是要他們當奴隸起金字塔。最後是很例牌的結局﹐正邪雙方大戰一場﹐奴隸打贏外族重獲自由﹐主角則英雄救美﹐大家回家安居樂業。

不過一個有點歷史常識的人﹐看這套電影肯定會看到嘔血﹐因為電影中的歷史時空嚴重錯亂。主角不單止橫跨雪山沙漠去救人﹐他還至少橫跨了八千年的時空。公元前一萬年是石器時代﹐那時代的原始人的確是用骨矛和石製武器打獵長毛象。不過來擄人的外族竟然騎著馬和拿著劍﹐馬匹是在公完前四千年才給人類馴服﹐而劍則是公完前三千年青銅時代的產物﹐他們和原始人時代足足差了七千年。外族要擄人去起的金字塔﹐那是公完前二千年才開始興建。外族擄人時給俘擄帶上手扣﹐那是鐵器時的產物﹐最早也要公完前一千年才出現。最離譜是有一幕女主角給祭司帶去問話﹐桌面上有一張地中海地圖﹐非常精確地繪畫出歐洲的海岸線﹐那是至少十六世紀才出現的超高科技。電影中不同時代科技差異之大﹐主角根本沒有可能有任何勝算﹐就只差沒有出現飛機大炮機關槍。不如索性來個原始人坐獨木舟大戰航空母艦﹐說不定可能會更加好看。

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Cultural Experience

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When we travel aboard, we love to claim that we are there to experience the culture.  We tends to look down on package tour that lock tourists up inside air conditioned coaches and only released them at specific spots to take a few snapshots.  It seems the cultural experience is what distinct intelligent travelers from dumb tourists.  Love to experience culture works fine when traveling to places with lovely culture.  Walking down the Louvre like a French, having Cappuccino like an Italian or soaking hot spring like a Japanese all sound very cool.  You can always learn something new and useful from those rich cultures by interacting with the local people.

However, there is a dilemma when traveling to places with not so lovely culture.  Why would anyone want to experience the mess in India?  Why would anyone want to experience the uncivilized vegetarian diet culture?  It is OK to try it for the first times, so that you can claim it sucks and stay away from it forever.  There is simply nothing to learn from those backward cultures.  Why bother?  I guess the only reason someone want to experience those culture is becoming an armature anthologist, observe the culture first hand and explain why it sucks to satisfy his academic curiosity.

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Holy Cow

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Holy Cow

India is famous for the scared cows roaming around in the city.  You see cows everywhere, along the road site, next to parked cars, even in the middle of the busiest intersection.  Cow is considered holy in the Hindu religion, so killing of cow is forbidden in India.  You don’t find beef in the menu of Indian restaurants.  To a beef lover like me, I could never understand why the Hindus would make a tasty animal being holy.

Actually I asked the question why cow is holy in Hindu to my Indian friends.  It seems none of them know the exact answer.  They don’t eat beef simply by following the Hindu tradition without questioning its origin.  I read from Wiki that holy cow may have its origin from the agriculture use of cows.  However, cows are no longer used in modern day farms, maybe we should stripe the holiness of cows and make tractors holy instead.  Another explanation is that cow has some symbolic meaning in Hindu religion.  Since choosing a symbol is kinda arbitary, why can’t they pick some other less tasty animals like shrimp or crab to worship?

Luckily, if you know the right place, you can still enjoy beef in India.  Most western restaurant in big hotels serve beef in their menu.  I just had a tenderloin steak grilled to perfection for dinner last night.  There is an old saying that you are what you eat.  If I eat holy cows, shouldn’t I become holy too?

動漫

Scrapped Princess 廢棄公主

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Scrapped Princess 自從發現了BT分享以來﹐不論是每季新翻或是經典名著﹐下載回來的動畫裝滿超過二百多套。可惜正如古巨基的愛得太遲中歌詞說的一樣﹐而影碟都掃光﹐但從來 未看﹐因有事趕。這個月給公司放逐了去印度公幹﹐Bangalore的交通出名差﹐每天從酒店來回公司要花兩個多小時坐車。返正坐在車上沒事幹﹐正好可以 清理歷年下載回來的動畫。「廢棄公主」是零三年BonesStudio出品的動畫﹐改篇自原著輕小說﹐在網上推介備受好評。我一向不太好劍與魔法的動畫﹐ 一來總不可以只獨沽一味看機械人動畫﹐二來這動畫評價著實太高﹐是套不能不看的經典作品。

這動畫開場的故事是很典型的RPG設定﹐主角 Pacifica是被詛咒的廢棄公主﹐保護她的有義兄劍客Shannon和義姐魔法士Raquel﹐一行三人逃被追殺流浪冒險。神殿預言她十六歲生日那天 會帶來世界未日災難﹐皇上於是下令處死廢棄公主﹐但皇后不忍心殺掉女兒﹐暪著皇上送她出宮外給人收養。在外間公主平安地渡過十五個年頭﹐但癈棄公主還在生 的密秘外洩﹐於是引來軍隊和神殿雙方的追殺。故事初段有點Slayer的感覺﹐連場打鬥中帶點輕鬆笑料。公主的性格很跳線﹐時常和義兄時常鬥嘴﹐身為長女 的義姐則要姊代母職﹐常常給兩人沒有乎。

儘管一般無知百姓﹐不是為著賞金想加害公主﹐就是害怕詛咒視公主為不祥人遠之。公主有時也會質疑是否自己不應來到 世上﹐但生性樂觀的她不想這樣白白送死﹐希望可以過一個平凡幸福的人生。義兄義姐始終是對公主不離不棄﹐相信若果要殺一個無辜女孩才可以取悅神拯救世界﹐人類就應該反抗這個不是正義的神。當然他們守護公主也有感情因素﹐他們早己視公主有親生妹妹妹﹐保護妹妹免受傷害是天經地義的事情﹐儘管這可能要與全世界為敵。在旅途中三人行遇上不少伙伴﹐有對公主一見鐘情的見習騎士小子﹐有不怕詛咒與公主成為朋友的女侍應﹐也有懷疑神的預言的刺客等人﹐為這動畫豐富了不少有趣好笑和感動人的情節。

在中段開始故事發展出人意表﹐若果以為這套只是通普劍與魔法動畫﹐肯定會被劇中的科幻背景設定弄得大跌眼鏡。我事先從網上影評中知道故事大網﹐也不禁為這突然而來轉變拍案叫絕﹐讚嘆編劇把劍與魔法的世界與科幻世界結合得天依無縫。原本故事的舞台發生中世紀的國度﹐在偽廢棄公主那一章竟然出現城市廢墟﹐繼而下一章出現沉睡中的太空船﹐才驚覺故事世界並不是龍與幻想的國度﹐而是在說人類在遙遠未來的故事。防衛地球的電腦系統為了阻止人類因自相殘殺的天性而自取滅亡﹐將大殺傷力科技和通住太空的道路封印起來﹐讓人類活在中世紀的世界中﹐無憂無慮地通大至上和平﹐就算有戰爭也不會導致人類絕種的生活。世界中的魔法是五千年前大戰殘留物質控制的力量﹐上半部出場的龍神機則是反抗軍留下來解放人類的兵器﹐而癈棄公主正正是解開封印的鎖匙。

諷刺的是劇中眾主角對這些我們觀眾耶熟能詳的科幻情節一竅不通﹐對於生活在中世紀世界的人來說﹐飛出太空在星星之間航行超乎想像之外。廢棄公主仍舊只渴望正常生活﹐義兄義姐也不過是想守護妹妹的安全。他們不理解反 抗軍要解放人類的理想﹐他們只是被動地徵召加入與神對抗的戰爭。無疑下半部動畫交代了背景設定﹐解釋癈棄公主被詛咒的理由﹐但這些宏觀上廣大人與神之間的 戰爭﹐並沒有改變主角們在微觀下簡單的行動理念。也許他們的基因被設計成要作人類的保衛者反抗神統管﹐但事實上他們並不是在追逐什麼遙遠尚高的理想﹐只是切實地為求過安穩生活去戰鬥。下半部再沒有劍與魔法的小規模打鬥﹐取而代之是龍神機與神使者在天空對招﹐從RPG動畫順利過渡成為科幻動畫。

「廢棄公主」沒有時下商業主失動畫般賣萌﹐癈棄公主這樣跳線的角色怎樣也萌不起來﹐魔法師姐姐也只適合御姐族的口味。這動畫也沒有亂搞愛情線玩收集後宮﹐主角三人行強調的是家庭和親情﹐見習騎士對公主的單戀只為故事加插清純的笑料。公主在失憶時遇上穩退江湖的殺手﹐結果是一場不能開花的慘烈愛情﹐為故事注入一絲扣人的傷感。 「廢棄公主」得到動畫愛好者的一至好評﹐就只是憑著出色的故事佈局﹐討人喜歡的角色設計﹐輕鬆愉快的過場情節﹐洋溢親情友情的角色關係。這些條件才讓一套動畫經得起時間考驗﹐成為一套必定要看的經典之作。那些只靠大打廣告令上映時人氣急升的動畫﹐在數年後在勢潮過後還有多少套有觀賞價值﹖

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Infanticide in India

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One of my Indian colleague is going to be a dad soon.  I congratulated him and asked him is it a baby boy or baby girl.  To my surprise, he said he have no idea.  It turn out in India it is illegal for the doctor telling the parents the sex of the baby.  The India government have such a law is because killing unborn baby girls is quite common in India.  The male to female ratio in India is 93 to 100, which means 7 out of 100 men cannot find a wife.  The problem is so bad that the government have to pass laws in order to have more baby girls.

I know Indian discriminate against woman, but discrimination alone won’t explain the killing of baby girl.  Your son have to marry a woman when he grow up, if everyone only give birth to boy, where the wives come from?  It turn out there is a financial penalty of having baby girl.  In Indian tradition marriage, the parent of the bride has to give a large sum of money to the groom.  Some people even take out a loan so that their daughter can marry the guy they like.  Here is something does not make sense.  According to the law of supply and demand, there are not enough women for every men in India.  Women are short in supply and high in demand, their price should go up.  In a free market of getting marriage, the groom should pay the large sum to find the right bride.  In a long run, the Indian wedding tradition is due to change, nothing can defying the law of economics forever.

If I am an Indian parent, I rather my daughter remains daddy’s girl then paying a large sum to get her a husband.  Any guy asking money from the in-law are not suitable to be a good husband.  If the Indian wedding tradition is the cause of killing baby girls.  Forbidding the doctor telling the parent the sex of the baby only treat the symptoms, it is not fixing the problem.  Assume we have to work within the constraint of arranged marriage, maybe the government should setup an internet auction platform for match making and require all parents using the auction platform to arranged the marriage for their sons and daughters.  An open auction platform just like eBay will show the true market value of the bride.  Given the lack of women in India, the price signal should strong enough to reverse trend of killing baby girl.  There is also a plan B, the Indian government can simply legalize gay marriage.  For the 7 out of 100 poor men who can’t find a wife, they just marry another guy.