It was raining, we don’t need the sign to tell us the ground was wet.
天行者
鄭伊健「古惑仔」系列電影中的大佬型像深入民心﹐時隔多年由他演出「天行者」中的出獄後改過自身的大佬最適合不過。拍攝過氣江湖大佬出獄的電影有不少﹐早年「英雄本色」狄龍那句﹕我無做大佬好耐﹐堪稱經典﹐鄭伊健自己也在「九龍冰室」演出過這種角色。那些電影的過氣大佬總是總落難落泊﹐只是想過平靜生活但給仇家追救﹐不得已再踏上江湖路的小角色。「天行者」與其他電影不同之處﹐是劇中鄭伊健飾演的葉秋﹐出獄後不甘於隱姓埋名﹐搖身一變為高調富商慈善家﹐成立基金公司在慈善事業大展拳腳。其他過氣大佬入獄原因不外是失手就是被出賣﹐與其說他們在獄中改過自身﹐不如說是他們對江湖事心灰意冷萌生退意。葉秋入獄卻是出於奇遇﹐他在舉刀劈人之際﹐刀鋒被雷電擊中。正所謂多行不義遭雷擊﹐看著給導雷燒傷的手掌﹐他沒有選擇逃走只是站著發呆﹐他在那一刻已經是得到重生。在獄中八年他閱遍中外名著﹐尋找人生的意義﹐在出獄後他就決定要貫切實行仁者之路。
每個過氣大佬必定有個想釘死他的警察﹐這個典型的警察角色由方中信飾演。方Sir組織了一隊反黑探員﹐日夜不停監視葉秋的一舉一動﹐誓死不相信葉秋慈善大王身份背後沒有不可告人的陰謀。壞人想改過自身做好人﹐總是有人懷疑其意圖不軌﹐並加以多番阻拗。方Sir本身不是壞人沒有仗勢凌人﹐只是一個辦案過分熱心的工作狂。他與球場葉秋在球場相遇﹐聽到了葉秋的心底話後﹐對自己的正義已開始動搖。最後他完全相信葉秋已改過自身並選擇放他走﹐時間是可以證明一個人的品格。
同樣每個過氣大佬也有江湖仇家﹐飾演這個角色是溤德倫。他和葉秋沒有什麼新仇舊恨﹐只不過他是社團現今的大佬﹐看見葉秋不將他放在眼放內﹐一口氣吞不下就設計陷害葉秋。他屬於八十年代那類有勇無謀的熱血古惑仔﹐在廿一世紀講效率講利益的黑社會能夠生存是奇蹟。反而戲內真正的過氣大佬狄龍則可信得多﹐對手下有情有義﹐但最終社團也不過是一盤生意。本來溤德倫這種鼠輩角色﹐出場沒有多久就會給主角解決掉。可是葉秋做好人要做到底﹐因為溤德倫像當年的自己﹐就執意要令他改過自身。葉秋到底有沒有想過﹐為救人這一個人﹐會犧牲了多少其他人呢﹖他對溤德倫的善意只是偽善﹐他只是放不開對自己過去的情意結﹐讓自己良心好過一點而作出的補贖﹐就可以擅自改變他人的人生嗎﹖
這套戲是男人電影﹐博士胡靜和盲女等戲份不多﹐什麼人來演也沒有關系﹐反正女角只是作為點綴的花瓶。在江湖上男人總是講義氣感情﹐反而女人可以更加心狠手棘。在葉秋公司當CEO的那個女強人﹐比葉秋那班江湖漢子絕情險惡多了。原本明言只管理公司不足涉江湖恩怨﹐在聽到公司和兒子有危險時﹐可以毫不猶疑地起殺意﹐叫葉秋斬草除根以絕後患。葉秋離開公司後張智霖也下堂求去﹐不愧是識事務懂明哲保身的聰明人﹐沒有葉秋作後盾﹐一班江湖莽漢如何鬥得贏女強人。就算葉秋不假死離去﹐他的善舉也只是為別人作嫁衣﹐最後落入女強人的手上。
葉秋在出獄後問博士借了三千萬美元﹐只是想證明一件事﹐葉秋沒有明言那件是什麼事﹐觀眾到完場也不知道葉秋找到這個問題的答案沒有。不論他要證明的是好人有好報﹐生命有Take Two﹐還是仁者之道是否乎合現實﹐在結局看來他是失敗了﹐他只好步上其他過氣大佬的後塵﹐退穩江湖與盲妹過平淡的下半生。葉秋也許在尋找人生的意義﹐枉他在獄中博群書﹐才得出要做好人的結論。不過他做好人的定義膚淺得緊要﹐做好人等於做善事﹐做善事等於派錢。其實他不用看這麼多中外名著﹐背熟教人日行一善的軍子手冊就足夠了。再者電影中常拍到的那幾本名著基度山恩仇錄﹐三國演義﹐人性的弱點等﹐也不見得有講做好人的道理﹐怪不得他的想法會如此天真﹐以為派錢就是做善事做好人。不論他派多少錢﹐他也改變不了社會上的不公義﹐他根本沒有能力照顧所有窮人。就算李嘉誠﹐Bill Gate派身家﹐也只是杯水車薪倒水入沙漠﹐派錢只是治標不治本。不過這也難怪葉秋﹐寄書給他的人也是沒有什麼文化粗人﹐讀什麼書就會變成什麼人。讀大路行貨的經典讀物﹐就只會變成無知主流群眾的一份子。若果葉秋在獄中有幸讀到羅梭的社會哲學﹐由柏拉圖的共和國開始讀起﹐精通從史密斯到馬克斯﹐從右至左的所有政治哲學思想。說不定他出獄後就不會成為滿身銅臭﹐只懂派錢沽名釣譽的善長人翁﹐而成為一個有真正理念的社會改革者。黑社會是當年原本是推反清朝的義士﹐黑社會大佬當政治改革先驅者﹐兜兜轉轉竟返回黑社會的精神原貌﹐何嘗不是一件美事呢。
Billion
How much is one billion? I am surprise to find out no many people know this word represents two numbers difference by a factor of 1000 depends on who you talk to. In US, 1 billion is 1000000000, 9 zeros, but in UK, 1 billion is 100000000000, 12 zeros. Today at lunch, we talked about the dream for all guys, marry to a rich woman and settle for life. One friend declare he will sell his body (probably his soul) to any woman, even an ugly, old and stingy woman, for 2 billion dollars. Then we joked about what currency this 2 billion dollar is, some insist it has to be in US, but some one say 2 billion HK dollars is enough. Then I bring up the question which definition of billion he is refering to, since it makes a big difference. Actually, I am the only one in my lunch group knows there is a difference, and no one believes me at first. To be honest, I couldn’t remember the exact difference either. It is hard to convince others when everyone think you are wrong and you have no external authoritative reference. Fortunately, I have Oxford dictionary installed in my Treo, so I simply look up the word and prove I am right. It is so convenient that technology brings all information to your finger tip. Just imagine if there is unlimited broadband internet connection to my Treo to bring together the power of Google and Wikipedia as well. Many unnecessary arguments are often caused by inaccurate information, if everyone can access reliable source of information at anytime, the world would have less argument and be more quiet.
Now, here is the billion dollars question, how much is 1 billion worth in HK? I assume it would follow the UK definition since it was an English colony, but somehow I sort of remember HK follow the US monetary system. Anyways, next time when you have a deal worth a billion, make sure both side agree on the same definition of a billion.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest 迦勒比海盜﹕決戰魔盜王
添食開拍的續集電影通常比第一集遜色﹐「迦勒比海盜」也不例外。第二集「決戰魔盜王」承接上集的餘威﹐雖然在票房方面十分賣坐﹐但說穿了還只不過是套很通普的荷里活公式大片。主角起用靚仔靚女吸引粉絲入場﹐使用大量電腦特技令觀眾覺得值回票價﹐從開場到完場一路節奏緊湊﹐劇本有打有笑交足功課﹐不過故事內容則完全欠奉深度。我沒有看過「迦勒比海盜」第一集﹐亦從不打算看第二集﹐時間不應浪費在看通俗娛樂片上。上星期去旅行時﹐酒店有免費電影供住客租借﹐反正晚上沒有電腦上網﹐左右也是無聊要打發時間﹐便呆在房中的觀看這齣電影。既然是免費自不能喊回水﹐不過倒想問片商賠償我兩個小時寶貴的光陰。若要用一個字來形容這電影﹐就是一個『悶』字。
看「決戰魔盜王」的故事不需要用腦﹐我懷疑編劇們也沒有用腦﹐動作指導和特技組先設計作為電影賣點的打鬥場面﹐編劇再隨意作條主線把那些場面串連起來﹐也不需要理會劇情是否合理﹐反正觀眾入場也只是求官感刺激﹐對故事不會包有任何期望。劇情很簡單的直線發展﹐俊男美女主角的奇遇一個接一個﹐東奔西跑走來走去玩尋寶。先是去找杰克船長的黑珍珠號﹐找到了般長就要救人﹐救人後就兵分兩路﹐一路人找魔盜王的鬼船偷寶箱鎖匙﹐另一路人去孤島找寶箱﹐最後來個寶箱爭奪戰﹐一伙人邊打邊逃避魔盜王的追殺﹐結局留一大條伏線給第三集。沒錯﹐特技花妝很出色﹐魔盜王的蝦兵蟹將栩栩如生﹐百變潛水鬼船和襲擊帆船的巨型墨魚也很悅目。可是看了這麼多年電腦特技電影﹐我早已經對這些綽頭麻木了﹐沒有五六年前初看電腦特技嘩嘩聲的感覺﹐做得再好也不外如是。看見巨型黑魚決戰海盜船﹐不單沒有緊張刺激的氣氛﹐反到覺很有點滑稽好笑﹐怎麼三四十年代B級科幻片的橋段也可以咸魚翻生。
劇本不合理是這齣電影的失敗之處﹐用經典海盜尋寶的故事作為骨幹沒有問題﹐但去尋寶的理由必需要合理﹐尋寶遇到的角色展現人生百態﹐而最終主角在尋寶過程中有所成長。可惜在這電影中沒有這些基本的戲劇元素﹐只有特技﹐動作場面﹐和更加多的特技。杰克船長去尋寶是希望用寶箱與魔盜王討價還價﹐一筆勾消他用靈魂換船的舊債。他有一張印有鎖匙圖樣的羊皮紙﹐便不用去大費週章找那條鎖匙了﹐叫鎖匠依照圖樣再造一條不就可以了。再者就算沒有鎖匙﹐也有很多方法可以開箱﹐海盜也該懂得小偷的謀生手藝嘛。靚仔主角要殺死寶箱裏面魔盜王的心臟﹐解放靈魂賣了給魔盜王的父親﹐按常理杰克應該站在靚仔那邊﹐魔盜王死了就不怕他來追債﹐剷草除根就不用討價還價這樣麻煩。那個魔盜王腦筋也是有點問題﹐這麼重要是寶箱就應該隨身攜帶﹐埋在無人荒島﹐肯定不及在他的無敵鬼船上安全。若果杰克船長多動一點腦袋﹐這齣戲就可以在開場後十五分鐘完場﹐用隨心如意指南針找出藏寶地點﹐再用炸藥或暴力把寶箱打開﹐一刀殺死魔盜王的心臟一了百了。當然杰克船長這麼有腦有計謀﹐就不需要無頭無腦的連場打鬥特技﹐為保證票房收益只好委屈杰克船長扮白痴了。
Enviromentalist
Today I had beer and wings with some colleagues after work to celebrate success of our previous the project. Between beers, we chatted about environment issues. The boss talked about a documentary he saw on global warming. It is the controversal one that calls the environmentalist crying wolfs. The theory is not new, I have read it somewhere else a few years ago. The environmentalists think global warming is caused by green house gases, but the theory said the climate change is caused by solar cycle, which is a natural phenomena spanning cycles of a few several hundred years. Then the documentary accuse the whole environmental industry are created out of thin air to profit from people’s fear of global warming. Well, the topic could have been a heated debate, but since the boss is in charge of the conversation, I just play safe by repeat what we usualy hear form the mass media to join the converation. You don’t have to truely agree with the view point you say, it can’t go wrong if the points are on the newspaper and everyone knows those points as facts. People will preceived you have said something intelligent but in fact you are just being a recorder without giving too much thoughts. When in doubt or want to hide your ture self, side with the majority, so that you don’t have to think about how to defense your points. The burden of proof is always in the side of the minority.