Today we have invented a new game, double foosball. The only difference between the new game and traditional foosball is using two balls instead of one. As we became better and better player, we found normal foosball is getting boring. We have developed fairly good defense skill, so it is much harder to score a goal. We have fairly good shooting and ball control skill, so the action always concentrate on one end of the table, the two people on the other end have nothing to do. Using two balls make the game much more exciting. Balls are flying all over in the table, and you can’t slow down the pace down by holding the ball. The appearance of the other balls force you to stay in motion all the time. Somehow I have special talent in this game and enjoy some advantage over my friends. I have powerful shots from both hands and more or less I can control my two hands independently. It is really cool to shot two balls from two bars at the same time. In addtion, double foosball makes very good training exercise for normal foosball. The extra ball enhances my reaction time and allows me to further develop separate hand control.
跟蹤
期望越大失望越大﹐這是我看罷 「跟蹤」的第一個感想。在這套電影暑假頭上畫時﹐不論是報章上的專業影評﹐還是網絡中的博客﹐均對這套杜琪峰出品讚不絕口。受到眾多輿論的影響下﹐我熱切期待著DVD推出。在網絡看見立即下載回來﹐插隊硬碟中下載很久但沒有時間看的十幾套電影﹐第一時間播出來欣賞。以戲論戲「跟蹤」只屬中上水準﹐可能近年港產片太過不堪入目﹐餓戲已久的觀眾久旱逢甘露﹐才一面倒的鼓掌叫好。
「跟蹤」是圍繞著俗稱狗仔隊﹐即警察情科跟蹤隊﹐與一班械劫銀行重匪鬥智的故事。徐子珊飾演新隊員豬女﹐在隊長狗頭任達華帶領下﹐與狗仔隊的一班手足﹐監視跟蹤梁家輝為首的金行劫案疑犯。導演游乃海是杜琪峰的御用編劇﹐這次處男下海首次執導。他處理戲中那幾場跟蹤場面的手法很純熟﹐雖然沒有什麼刺激的動作場面﹐只是憑狗仔隊員的一靜一動﹐便凝造讓觀眾屏息靜氣的緊張氣氛。槍戰在杜琪峰電影的招牌菜﹐不過在這電影中只是過場性質﹐與匪徒駁火的警察只沒有名字的咖喱菲﹐砰砰隆隆的亂轟一通。首三分之二故事很出色﹐觀眾伴陪豬女經歷驚險懸疑的跟蹤過程﹐和面對同僚受襲的生死決擇。可是受制於劇本的先天性不足﹐最後一定要把壞人繩之於法的限制﹐狗仔隊又不可以親手拉人﹐結尾只好加速推進草草收場。找到賊竇的經過太過巧合﹐實在有太多不合理之處﹐很難自圓其說讓觀眾心服口服。綁架犯與銀行劫匪是鄰居已經很牽強﹐在交贖金處重遇梁家輝拜師父機會還細過中六合彩。豬女發現擊警兇徒的行蹤﹐又不立即通知上級增緩﹐反而以身犯險走入餐廳﹐簡直是蠢到無可救藥。梁家輝喝奶茶的幾分鐘時間﹐已足夠讓警察把成條街封銷包圍﹐那他就插翼難飛只好束手就擒。
現實中的警察狗仔隊 ﹐大慨比電影中的先進幾倍。電影裏的跟蹤方法很原始﹐多數只是扮鬼扮馬做吊靴鬼。「無間道」傻強也懂說﹐那做時不專心﹐又看著你的話﹐那個人就一定是警察。那些扮路人甲乙丙的狗仔隊這麼明顯﹐有些少警覺性的賊看一眼就可以識穿身份。還以為狗仔隊不會有占士邦式的高科技﹐也至少要有GPS自動追蹤器吧。原來跟蹤工具是平常人也買到的電子產品﹐劇中用得最多的是手提電話。不知道香港的流動電話網絡是否比外國的先進﹐在外國以手提電話訊號去作三角定位﹐還是實驗研究階段的技術﹐香港的解像度卻已以分辨疑犯身在那條街。還未計這技術涉及私隱問題﹐法律上的灰色地帶必須先要立法澄清。
若想看港產片的話﹐「跟蹤」可以不妨考慮﹐但不要期望太高﹐網上評價譽過其實。畢竟杜琪峰只是這套電影的監製﹐始終與杜琪峰導演的其他電影相差一個級數。
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Firework
Every year around the summer season, Vancouver has its annual firework competition. Teams from 3 countries put together 4 spectacular shows within two weeks. I am not a big fan of firework and didn’t watch firework for the past few years. The firework show is always the prefect excuse to organize a social gathering to keep in touch with your friends.
We meet at Kitsilano Beach after work. Some of our friends already went there early and save us a good spot. The beach is not very crowd when we arrived at 8:00p.m. People were still enjoying the last bit of sunlight before sunset. Our spot is quite nice, close to the restaurant and real washroom, not those stinky portable ones. There were two people playing Jazz with guitar and saxophone just a few meters away. We enjoy the music, chit chat with each other, play card games to kill the time during the wait for the firework show. The firework starts at 10:00p.m., some friends are so smart that they brought along portal radio. So we can listen to the theme music of the firework. The firework is pretty good, but not really exceptional. Tonight’s show is preformed by the Chinese team. I heard earlier in the radio that there will be a special firework in the Olympic five rings pattern. I was eagerly looking forward to the rings in the sky, but I was disappointed. All I saw was some random rings. Maybe the wind disturbed the pattern or maybe we were just sitting in the wrong viewing angle.
The show ends at 10:30p.m., everyone leaving at the same time makes the traffic totally packed. It took us almost an hour and half to get home. I wish I can post some pictures with this blog entry, but I left the camera with Pat. Maybe I will upload the pictures later when I copy the files form Pat. The final show is on this Saturday, it is the last chance for those who want to enjoy some fireworks this summer.
Evan Almighty 衰鬼上帝2
喜歡上一集Jim Carrey主演「衰鬼上帝」的朋友﹐可能會到對今集感到失望﹐沒有跨張無厘頭的暴笑喜劇﹐取而代之是溫馨感人的輕鬆小品。我一向不喜歡Jim Carrey橡皮怪臉的演技﹐反而今集由傻呼呼的Steven Carell當主角看起來較順眼。Morgan Freeman依舊飾演上帝的角色﹐他的上帝形象深入民心﹐中世紀油畫的上帝永遠是穿白袍的長鬚老人﹐現代荷里活電影的上帝則是穿白襯衣的黑人。
這一集玩的情節不再是上帝放假﹐而是現代版挪亞方舟。上集當配角的Evan今集擔正當主角﹐原本是電視台的新聞主持﹐參考國會議員競選成功﹐一家人搬去華盛頓展開新生活。在這位政壇新星準備大展拳腳改變世界時﹐上帝向貨顯示神諭﹐叫他參考聖經創世紀建造一隻方舟。全世界也嘲笑主角是瘋子﹐不過他始終堅守到最後﹐等街大洪水的神蹟出現﹐拯救原本嘲笑他人的上船避難﹐皆大歡喜大團員結局﹐還踢爆壞蛋議員破壞環境謀利的陰謀。這套電影是黑白分明的童話寓言故事﹐ 所有角色也性格簡單﹐忠的正直奸的邪惡﹐所以請觀眾不要深究劇情細節是否合理。這套電影是喜劇﹐笑位也水份充足。上帝在說道理之餘﹐不忘整蠱捉弄主角﹐於是經常笑話百出。前乘來搭方舟成雙成對的動物﹐更加是生動有趣﹐還懂得幫手造船﹐小朋友一定看到拍爛手掌。還有一些笑料比較隱晦﹐要花點心思腦筋急轉彎才明白﹐照顧到水平較高觀眾的知性需要。這套電影歡歡樂樂健健康康﹐是這個暑假檔期適合一家大細觀看的選擇。
承接上一集衰鬼上帝的風格﹐觀眾在戲院中除了開懷大笑一頓外﹐完場時細味少思劇中的意義還會有所得著。 雖然故事是取材自聖經故事﹐但電影沒有令人反感的硬銷式傳教。劇中上帝說的教訓不多﹐皆是不論宗教派別﹐總會讓觀眾感覺窩心的大道理。劇中方舟比喻想要改變世界就要由自己開始﹐方舟的英文是ARK﹐ 拆開來代表Act of Random Kindness。在中段主角的妻子因為害怕帶著兒子搬回外家﹐在途中餐廳遇到上帝裝扮的待應﹐他們那一段對話最發人深省。大意是說﹕若果有人祈求忍耐﹐你說上帝會直接給他忍耐﹐還是給他一個鍛煉忍耐的機會呢﹖若果有人祈求勇氣﹐上帝會直接讓他勇敢﹐還是給他一個發揮勇氣的機會呢﹖若果祈求一家人親近﹐上帝會否忽現間讓人心中湧出暖意﹐還是給一個機會(全家一起建造方舟)去讓他們學習相親相愛呢﹖
據聞在香港早年拍攝「謊舟大迷信」的影音使團﹐包下電影院播放「衰鬼上帝續集」作為傳教工具。我想他們這些傳教活動只會適得其反﹐讓觀眾更加質疑他們挪亞方舟是歷史事件的宣稱。聖經神話在外國是傳統文化的一部份﹐不少電影也會借用聖經故事來說說道理。這等於希臘史哲學家用希臘神話說道理一樣﹐不會有人認真地當那些神話是真實發生的事情。反而會下意識地認為人可能重新解讀演釋聖經﹐更新那些古老過時的神話故事﹐把道理靈活地應用在現代的生活上。其實這樣做已經違背了基督教中聖經一字也不可以更改﹐任何經文也要照字面意思直解的教義 。電影中的上帝是仁慈的智者﹐最後大洪水是因為人類破壞環境帶來的災害﹐現代挪亞把最初不信有洪水的民眾救上船﹐沒有淹死一人。舊約聖經的上帝卻是個草管人命的凶殘暴君﹐降大雨消滅地球上挪亞一家外的所有人。作為一個有良心理知的觀眾﹐看完電影的方舟故事後﹐再對比舊約原版的方舟故事﹐大慨寧願相信扮上帝的Morgan Freedom﹐也不願相信基督教的耶和華。