Despicable Me 壞蛋獎門人

想不到一個週末內﹐連氣看了兩套3D動畫電影。原本打算看《反斗奇兵3》﹐可惜同行的友人已經看過了﹐他們想看新上畫的《壞蛋獎門人》﹐反正我也很久沒有入戲院﹐便隨大伙兒高興看了這套電影。結果第二天還是心思思﹐與老婆回去看《反斗奇兵3》才安樂。

《壞蛋獎門人》由新電影公司Illumination製作﹐這是他們的第一套電腦動畫。老實說這電影的動畫效果只有電視級數﹐與Pixar自然差幾條街﹐甚至二流的Dreams Works或Sony也有一段距離。若果不是有家裏電視機看不到的3D效果﹐這電影根本不值得在戲院看。電影故事十分低齡兒童向﹐3D效果也走跨張路線﹐久不久便有東西從畫面飛出來飛到面前。早幾年初看時還覺得這些效果很得意﹐現在多看了反而覺得這些效果煩人﹐令我分神影響我欣賞電影。《反斗奇兵3》同樣也有用3D效果﹐出自大師級的鏡頭便可差天共地。Pixar運用3D效果增加景深﹐讓畫面更有層次感﹐看起來比2D畫面更有美感。

觀眾不要對電影的故事太過認真﹐主人翁雖然號稱要成為最邪惡的壞蛋﹐但他幹的壞事其實很小兒科。甚至他偷取月球的大計﹐要脅世界政府支付龐大贖金﹐也是搞笑多於破壞。他原本只要為實行計劃﹐領養三個孤女去幫他偷縮小槍﹐其間被三個小女孩的心溶化了。讓性格孤僻的他發現生命色彩﹐在努力向大壞蛋目標進發之餘﹐也不忘當三個小女孩的湊仔公。正所謂同行如敵國﹐戲中的另一個壞蛋﹐為爭奪天下第一壞蛋的名號﹐與主人翁也不是動真格拼命﹐反倒成為一對鬥氣的歡喜冤家。電影充滿Tiny Tune式的卡通暴力﹐不論戲內如何爆炸如何破壞﹐也不會有任何角色受傷死亡﹐歡歡樂樂嬉笑胡鬧大團員結局散場。

相信大部份觀眾也會同意﹐這套電影的真正主角﹐是主人翁地底基地那群黃色小豆丁軍團。他們不會說對白﹐只憑鬼馬的表情﹐咕嚕嚕的簡單發音﹐時而短路的思維﹐便引發連場笑彈。主人翁去邪惡銀行借錢﹐籌集資金實行邪惡計畫也很好笑﹐很多有推銷企畫經驗的觀眾也會發出會心微笑。

主人翁與三個小女孩的緣份也來得奇妙﹐本來主人翁視女孩們是負累﹐只想把縮小槍偷到手後﹐把她們送回孤兒院。轉捩點是到遊樂場玩扔公仔﹐遊樂攤檔出千明明扔中也不認數﹐氣得主角從懷中抽出大炮﹐把遊戲攤檔轟掉。三個小女孩不單不害怕﹐還很欣賞主人翁的行事作風。他初次感覺到自己被認同﹐從而對小女孩產生親切感並接納她們。電影唯一美中不足之處﹐是小女孩對那些邪惡計畫置身事外﹐缺少她們參其中的樂趣。據聞電影票房報捷﹐製作公司已決定開拍續集。若果下集小女孩和黃色小豆丁聯手﹐幫助腦筋不靈的主人翁當上頭號大壞蛋﹐故事應該會很有趣。

Socialist workers

China is reaching the turning-point, India is probably not far behind. Where the outsourcing will go next? Africa or Middle East?

Continue reading Socialist workers

Hong Kong’s economy, End of an experiment

The minimum wage legislation marks the last straw for Hong Kong’s death. The city is still there, but it is no longer the city once famous for its economy freedom. In 20 years, we will see whose economical policy is right, Cowperthwaite or Donald Tsang.

Continue reading Hong Kong’s economy, End of an experiment

Project Management Fundamental course

I challenged the PMP exam without having any project management training. I just studied the exam questions like I studied for any other public exams. When I got my PMP credential, I joked that I don’t have any practical knowledge of a good project manager, but I sure can talk like one.

After many painful project schedule slips, my company finally realize the importance of project management and sudden jump on the project management bandwagon. Everyone who has to lead something in the next project is sent to take a 2 days project management training off-side in a nice hotel. Breakfast and lunch are include but too bad that we have to pay for our own parking.

The training is really useful, even to a certified PMP like myself. The training is not sitting there all day long and flipping through some boring slides. We learn program management through a series of exercise designed to get us familiar with project management concept and introduce us to some best practices. We are divided up into 4 groups and were told to come up with a mock project to work on. Other groups simply use their existing project for the exercise. My group is more creative, we come up with a fake project which trying to get a better replacement for a tool everyone hates. It turns out using a fake project is better than a real project. It frees us from distraction from personal bias or irrelevant technical details. We can focus on the project management process without worrying about the work piled ahead and have some fun.

Everyone got a certificate after completing the two days training, but I am the only person in the class care about that piece of paper. I can use the training for the continue education requirement for my PMP credential renewal. I get 16 PDU credits and the company pays for them. This training spent most time on the planning phase. I wish the company will give us another training for project tracking and monitor phase. Not only we have problems in planning the project right, but also we have problems keeping track of our progress through out the project. I can also earn more PDU credits and have more free lunch!

飛女正傳

無線的劇集絕大部份都是垃圾師奶劇﹐可是也會偶有佳作。年中播映的《飛女正傳》﹐是無線近年極少數的創意典範。很難得我完全不需要用快速跳播﹐飛過沉悶的婆媽劇情﹐反而全程聚精會神觀看﹐恐怕錯過了任何精警的對白。我甚至即時重播一些搞笑場面﹐仔細咀嚼回味不一樣的出位橋段。

老實說頭幾集不太好笑﹐蔡少芬要強吻男人變身Janet Bin的笑位有些夾硬。不過故事上軑道後漸入佳景﹐各綠葉發功笑彈連環爆發﹐完全顛覆無線劇集的常用公式。「病床果邊好多位﹐點解你地全部迫晒這邊。(之後眾人行過奇床對面﹐全部背對著鏡頭)」「點解你d普羅百姓﹐認為個樣一定要似吳啟華先至係醫生呢。」「我已經將你的犯罪證據記錄在這張磁碟上。答﹕我做咁多壞事﹐咁細隻磁碟夠裝嗎﹖」「看見你的髮型(沒有學萬子良般蠟起頭髮)﹐都知你做番好人。監獄合唱團練歌唱友誼之光﹐黃德斌的呷醋女友各種方法迫婚。陳豪女助手誤以為陳豪殺人﹐替他推架車落海毀屍滅跡。曹永廉非常黑仔當倫理大悲劇主角﹐陳豪美麗人生傳銷整容。爆笑劇情實在數之不盡﹐編劇想像力和幽默感拿滿分。

此劇的評價十分兩極﹐不喜歡的人說劇情胡鬧無聊﹐喜歡的人卻說故事天馬行空﹐好笑扺死之餘兼言之有物﹐一針見血地諷刺現實的反智。平時無線不論多大製作﹐故事總是虎頭蛇尾草草收場﹐這套劇反而越看越好看。結局更破格地一反傳統﹐雖然也算是大團員結局﹐但完全不落俗套﹐Golden Billy簡直是一大驚喜。初期有很多人批評故事抄外國電視劇﹐又批評無線的土法特技兒戲失實。超能力者肯定不是無線原創﹐但想到把超能力加入港女元素﹐變成個貪慕虛榮愛靚愛面的港女超人﹐今次無線的創意應記一功。無線電視劇成本有限﹐苛求荷里活水準的特技未免強人所難﹐亦完全捉錯用神。港女超人本身不過是引子﹐圍繞港女超人身邊一眾閒人才是戲肉。

可惜蔡少芬已經不是無線親生女﹐無緣問鼎今年視后﹐她在此劇的表現出眾。她在劇中要一人分飾兩角﹐變身前演蘿霸梁巧芝﹐變身後演高傲完美女性Janet Bin﹐前後判若兩人她也能揮灑自如﹐最難得是她演澤出兩個角色的心理變化。從Janet Bin最初只是梁巧芝的潛在人格﹐變身前後有時還會混淆另一個人格﹐到後來Janet Bin分裂成為另一個人格﹐反客為主侵佔梁巧芝的身體。不過由終始至終﹐梁巧芝和Janet Bin也是同一個人﹐先而對新的身份感到迷惑﹐繼而兩種思想對抗分裂﹐最後兩者和解融合變回一體﹐明白我中有你你中有我的道理。蜘蛛俠和超人也有過相似的心理爭扎﹐正邪兩股勢力在內心交戰。港女超人還未去到正邪交戰那樣高層次﹐反而表現出時下女性感情路上的矛盾﹐喜歡你愛的黃德斌還是愛你的陳豪﹐要愛情還是要事業。若果可以把人格分裂出來。讓每個人格去追逐不同的理想﹐人生又何需要三心兩意呢。

《飛女正傳》論好笑指數﹐比黃子華或王祖藍拍的劇集更好笑。儘管此劇收視未如理想﹐不過卻贏盡口碑﹐把一眾早己不看無線婆媽劇的後生一輩觀眾﹐重新吸引回到電視機面前。我衷心希望《飛女正傳》有機會開拍續傳﹐蔡少芬與陳豪再加個超能力B﹐原裝人馬的笑死人甘草綠葉﹐還有很多無線劇集公式可以玩呀。