nan | 楠木

I am so glad I took a two hour break between all my hectic lines of work today to watch this film. Slumdog Millionaire is such a emotionally powerful and entertaining film, that it is without doubt one of the best offerings of cinema 2008, and in short a film that everyone should see.

The story follows Jamal Malik, an Indian teenager who grew up in the slums of Mumbai, and the adult fairy-tale of his spectacular run in the Hindi version of the game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire?. The narrative is devilishly clever in its construct – the answer to every quiz question that Jamal faces on the show lies in a part of Jamal’s turbulent childhood, recounted through vivid flashbacks. While the opening 15 minutes may appear somewhat confusing, as the film sets up its premise, once the plot is fully running it never takes a moment’s breath. It’s a truly exhilarating ride.

At its core, Slumdog Millionaire is a beautiful story of romance against all odds. The audience will soon realize that Jamal’s appearance on the game show is simply a natural continuation of his life-long search for his true love, Latika, whom he befriended as a child. Unfortunately, Jamal, who grew up with his older brother Salim, life has been extremely hard as the brothers are forced to resolve to every kind of begging and stealing imaginable to stay alive, while trying to steer clear of the unscrupulous characters from the sinister underworld of modern Mumbai. As a result, throughout his adolescence Jamal and Latika have re-united on multiple occasions, only to be separated by the tides of society. If this sounds Dickensian, that is because there are certainly a lot of similarities that can be drawn from the rapid social changes occurring both in Victorian times and modern day India. The film does an excellent job portraying the dizzying speed at which India is transforming, and how the India from The World is Flat is truly clashing with its millennia-old traditions.

The film’s greatest achievement is certainly its richness of emotions. At times dramatically tense, romantic, hilarious and somberly sad, this underdog tale is so persuasive that Jamal’s fate is irreversibly intertwined with the audience’s emotions, and the ensuing result is that rare moment of true movie magic – the audience and the protagonist becomes one, and the audience live and breathe the protagonist’s feelings. Jamal’s ups and downs translate into moments from our own lives, invoking our own deepest emotions, and we can’t help but root for him, in the same sense that we all hope that our lives can take a turn for the better. It is in a sense classic Hollywood storytelling with the Frank Capra touch – Jamal is very much like James Stewart’s George Bailey from It’s a Wonderful Life, in the same way that audiences can easily identify with two protagonists and personify their experiences.

Serious moviegoers may find fault with the film’s climactic finale, since one major plot development can clearly be labeled cheesy and a cop-out. However, cheesiness in Slumdog Millionaire is akin to that of Forrest Gump – with a film so pleasantly uplifting and mesmerizingly absorbing, why should we criticize a fairy-tale for deviating from reality?

9/10

Obviously six days aren’t enough to experience any country. In terms of sightseeing, we didn’t visit the south coast – which seems to be winning acclaim as a beach hotspot, or any of the sights related to Cambodia’s bloody and turbulent recent history.

That said, there are definitely some very deep impressions formed. The first would be how desperately poor the country was. Beggars living off the streets, and the in-your-face sex trade. There are dozens of “hostess bars” in Phnom Penh. Cambodia sex workers have the highest HIV rate in Southeast Asia, at a staggering 34% if I’m not mistaken, making this a huge socio-economic issue.

Secondly, the horrors of Khmer Rouge, the Vietnamese occupation, and other turmoils of the recent century are a clear point of national pain, which the Cambodian people are only beginning to recover. “Pol Pot”, “S-21″, “the killing fields”, “Year Zero” are some of the keywords that we’ve repeatedly encountered in the past week, and many tourist spots offer repeat showings of films on the subject as well as dozens of books. While there is definitely an element of playing to the tourists’ psyche, this constant exposure does highlight the local mentality. In a culture where Hinduism and Buddhism have played a prominent role, it is indeed astonishing that such atrocities occurred under the brief authoritarian role of the Khmer Rouge.

Perhaps what is of special relevance to us Chinese is how the Khmer Rouge was related to our regime, and whether there are any similarities in the two countries’ history. The common belief held seems to be that Pol Pot was heavily influenced by Mao’s Cultural Revolution, and at a first glance the radical policies he adopted shares a spiritual resemblance to the crazy 10 years our nation endured. This again demonstrates how dangerous autocratic regimes are – which is especially important for us to remember now in this moment of prosperity. We must never forget the need to continue to push for true democracy – whatever the form it may adopt in China.

A third point is regarding NGOs. There seems to be an abundance of NGOs in Cambodia, with genuine and profound impact on society. This is encouraging and there should be a few worthwhile lessons for us.

A good part of the morning was spent in agonizing cold on the Angkor Express back to Phnom Penh – the a/c was ridiculously low. Thankfully the driver responded to feedback.

It was already 2pm when we checked in. After a quick but expensive lunch at the hotel restaurant (it was French, which was it’s justification for the outlandish prices), we quickly walked to visit the National Museum and the Royal Palace. The museum was small, giving testimony to the deprived state of the proud Khmer heritage in Cambodia. The royal palace was certainly lavish, though that wasn’t too surprising.

We wanted to check out the Central Market, the Art Deco building which dates back to the 1930s, but the market was already closed. Disappointed, we headed back to the riverfront area and strolled around checking out various boutique stores. Dinner was grand – we flocked to Lemongrass, a highly rexommended Thai/Khmer restaurant with affordable prices. The highlight of the tour in terms of meals.

I did a traditional Khmer massage in the evening. It was very unique – a lot of bending and stretching, and I was afraid of my back breaking at one point. An interesting experience to end the trip.

A long trip to Beng Melea, a temple claimed to be the prototype of Angkor Wat though now almost completely in ruins. A guard volunteered to be our guide, leading us through an adventurous climb through the ruins. Tree-roots penetrated the walls and became entangled with the rocks.

Besides Bayon, this is probably my favorite temple of the tour, even more so than Angkor Wat – that was too famous, impersonal; Beng Melea, with it’s crumbling walls and discreet location hidden in a sea of trees, was the perfect place to get away from the crowds and the rancor of civilization. It was a place to seek intimacy with heavenly nature, and to reflect upon time passed and civilization lost.

At Roluos, our last site of temples on our itinerary, there was little new, besides an encounter with a little girl. She was barefooted, shyly walking on one of the towers of Bakong. I was taking random photos when she approached me. She swiftly slipped a ring of green on the index finger of my right hand, and attached a small flower to the ring.

“One thousand riels,” she demanded, while pointing to her bare feet and murmuring how hot it was to walk on stone in the middle of the day.

Not a large sum; only a quarter in dollars. Somehow I was touched with empathy, and having no quarters with me, I gave her a dollar. Hopefully that will give her a good meal.

We finally got a chance to ride the tuk tuk, a small carriage mounted to a motorcycle. We rode out to see the sunset at Angkor on the sightseeing air balloon. It was a magnificent sight, witnessing the entire structure of Angkor Wat gradually unfolding as we rose higher.

Last meal in Siem Reap. We had Vietnamese hot pot at the Soup Dragon, another local favorite. We had so much that we spent a couple of hours walking around the Old Market area. Did some souvenir shopping at a shop which emphasized how it was supporting local workers, which obviously made shoppers feel better about spending money. Then ice cream at Sweeson’s, a US chain – globalization indeed.

After a good, good rest, we were temple-touring again. The morning was devoted to a good bit of walking in the rain-forest, as we did some climbing to see the river of a thousand lingas. To be honest, the lingas here are not a major attraction, while the forest itself was enchanting. At one point in the climb we came to an clearing where the entire valley was exposed and the beauty of the lush tropical forest fully unraveled before our eyes.

Lunch was at the Khmer Kitchen Restaurant, quite a tourist favorite. I couldn’t fully perceive the difference between Thai and Khmer curries, thoguh that certainly didn’t affect my satisfaction with the food. The price was modest too, with most dishes around $3.

In the afternoon we finished the Big Circuit of temples (as opposed to the Small Circuit which we saw yesterday). We headed back to Angkor Wat to capture the sights at sunset. Lots and lots of photos.

The night was spent in leisure. Dinner at the Blue Pumpkin; a massage session at a premium spa; a few drinks at Temple Club, one of the hottest bars in town. The bar was loud but relaxing, with a few pool-tables entertaining crowds. Cocktails were $4, and “buy 1 get 1 free” – certainly all too easy to get drunk at such low price.

Got up at 4:30am to witness the sunrise at Angkor Wat. Travelled in darkness along the old streets of Siem Reap, the city was tranquil after the hard late night partying in the downtown bars full of hip westerners and locals.

The road surrounding the moat around Angkor Wat was lit up by the steady stream of traffic carrying eager tourists to the sacred place. The flickers appeared mythical.

We crossed the pathway across the moat supported by our flashlights. We were not alone; up ahead many other flashlights could be observed, and we were like children trespassing into an ancient garden previously forbidden to us. There were little thrills of excitment or screams of surprise (when stumbling along the uneven path).

We gradually approached the pool famous as an observation spot for the sunrise. A few hundred tourists scattered along the pool, cameras in hand anticipating. The sun was to rise behind the temple, and already the silhouette of the temple was composing a beautiful scene. After duly spending enough storage space on this scene over the course of an hour, we proceeded into the structure.

The main temple was under badly needed renovation, and the entire central part was therefore closed to visitors. Nonetheless, we witnessed the beautiful bas-relief, most of which depicted legendary battles.

After Angkor Wat came Bayon. This proved to be an even more popular spot, at least in terms of photo-taking, since the many faces demanded equal treatment. This is certainly one of the most famous images of Cambodia, prevalent everywhere from t-shirts to post cards and books.

We completed the morning tour by visiting the remaining sights of Angkor Thom. The consistent feeling I had throughout was that this used to be a place of incredible splendor, but much of that has been irreversibly lost as time moved on. Cambodia’s gorden age was almost a millenium ago; the weight of that duration as well as the turbulent times have crushed these formerly glorious temples and changed them beyond recognition.

Nothing is more evident of this fact than Ta Prohm, our highlight of the afternoon. This temple was prominently featured in the film Tomb Raider, a fact which every guide-book eagerly points out. Here nature has reclaimed what man had formerly conquered, and sprawling roots and branches of towering trees pierce through the rocks of the temple. It posed a magnificent scenery of man and nature intertwined in the literal sense.

After a day of temples, we all craved for the comforts of civilization. Dinner was at the Blue Pumpkin, a local joint famous for it’s bakery and ice-cream. After due indulgence we headed into the night market, where besides other things everyone bought a Tintin in Cambodia t-shirt, this forming our team.

Got up early at six, after a fairly standard breakfast buffet we started out on the Angkor Express. Mainly foreign travellers.

The highway is a simple patch of road, in quite good condition. Alongside the view is mile after mile of rice paddies and the villages whose inhibitants farm these lands. The houses, or huts to be more exact, are built on an elevated platform supported by wooden or concrete pillars. Since I’m uninformed with the local culture, my best guess is that this is obviously to avoid flooding in the monsoon season. However, different huts are not elevated to the same height, so it could also be a sign of status, with the more affluent families literally living higher. Additionally, all huts use wooden shutters instead of glass for windows, and size probably correlates with affluence, with the most basic huts having no windows at all.

We’ve passed a fair number of village temples already. The design is distinctive, and the colors are predominantly gold and red. I’m sure we’ll have many chances to see them in the next few days.

We arrived in Siem Reap early afternoon. The temperature was moderately hot, and thankfully not humid. The roads were of red clay, and we immediately discovered the potential dust issue. Our pickup, arranged by the guesthouse, was punctual, and quickly rescued us from the hawking hotel vendors at the bus station.

The accomodation was basic but clean. In the lobby there was wi-fi, which helps immensely in my goal to stay connected via my iTouch. So much so I don’t really need the public computers available, although the keyboards do make a difference when it comes to long-form writing.

Our guesthouse, Golden Temple, is situated quite close to the Old Market, which has on offer pretty much all you could ask for – street vendors, boutique stores, restaurants and bars, massage and spa, and numerous more I’m sure. We shopped around a bit as Terry wanted a pair of flip-flops.

We headed out to Phnom Bakeng to watch the sunset. This was our first venture into Angkor Wat, and while we only caught glimpses of the the iconic structures, it was enough to raise our expectations for the next few days. Bakeng itself is a small hill ideal for observing the local surroundings; as such, it was bustling with people around sunset. There were so many tourists from all parts of the world that we struggled to find ideal locations to take snapshots. However, the sunset today promised to be disappointing, as there were dense clouds and the sun only revealed itself for brief moments before darkness fell.

Dinner was at Dead Fish. Not a very inspiring name for a restaurant, but would you believe it this seems to be quite a famed local spot. The food is mainly Thai with some Khmer specialties, but we opted for the standard Thai set menus so Khmer food would have to wait until later. The day, an unbelievably long one, ended after a short stroll in the night market. Tomorrow – the day starts at 4:30am.

Getting in day. Flight stopped in Guangzhou, where to my surprise met the rest of the group. I didn’t know we were sharing the same flight!
Phnom Penh is hot. Reminds me a lot of Jakarta, where the traffic is equally chaotic and the roads distinctively similar. however, that said Jakarta is much more of an economic powerhouse and features a modern skyline; what I’ve seen so far of Phnom Penh suggests a much more traditional place, with a dab of that familiar colonial feeling. Trash is piled on the streets, Which is a definite drawback; there are plenty of poor people living out on the streets.
After checking in at our hotel, which is in a quite prominent location on the Tonle Sap riverfront, we took a very short stroll around. Lots of bars, and the necessary working girls that are ever so typical of the Southeast Asian nightlife. Exploitive.
Getting up early tomorrow to take the 5 hour bus to Siem Reap.

Wanted is essentially your usual male adrenaline pumping shoot ‘em-up, even in the literal sense. James McAvoy stars as the ordinary loser who is actually the son of a top assassin from the ultra-secret Fraternity which has been around for a millennium.  He is found by the organization – led by Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie – after his father’s death. With a little proper training, he can bend bullets and he will stop at nothing to seek vengeance.

What works about Wanted, or the first 30 minutes or so of the film, is its deliberately cheesy and over-the-top style. Yeah, these guys can bend bullets, defy gravity, and break the sound barrier. Think of it as The Matrix meets The Transporter, with a dab of Fight Club‘s philosophical tone, and you won’t be far off the end result here. However after this fairly intriguing opening act (where most of the best stunts happen, by the way), the film then does the unthinkable – it begins to take its absurd plot far too seriously, and tries to give the character depth of thought (of course it fails), and by doing so the film degenerates into your usual pretentious action film. Why so serious?

Regardless, the film’s highlights are worthwhile, and any action junkie should at least see the opening 30 minutes as well as the final 15, where there is a very videogame-like sequence. Guilty fun.

7/10

借新片《梅兰芳》，陈凯歌时隔十五年后再度回到了缔造了他事业顶峰——《霸王别姬》——的京剧，而结果并未令观众失望。《梅兰芳》整体上是一部上乘之作，它背负种种束缚与重压，最终虽未实现完美的破茧而出，其努力亦当受到尊重与认可。

看《梅兰芳》前，我重温了一遍《霸王别姬》。二者相似之处很多，无论剧情、人物抑或主题，这两部影片都可看作姊妹篇。然而梅兰芳与程蝶衣，真实与虚构的两位主人公，相较之下，却是戏剧人物战胜了真实人物。这倒并非全然是黎明与张国荣两位演员的功力差距，而是两个角色本身的差距——《梅》中的梅兰芳束缚于要做完人的使命；而《霸》中的程蝶衣则没有拘束、敢爱敢恨、亦嗔亦魔，他是个有缺陷的人，这也正是他的感染力所在。

《梅兰芳》的开场便像是在向《霸王别姬》致敬。“梅兰芳”三字在舞台灯光的聚焦下“登场”，像极了《霸王别姬》开场蝶衣与小楼在空旷的体育馆里的那个镜头。影片的前三分之一，与《霸》相似，亦是讲述主人公的少年成长。我一向觉得，《霸》的前三分之一非常震撼，在张国荣、张丰毅、巩俐等主要演员均未出场的情况下故事如此引人入胜；而《梅》中这种感觉尤盛，甚至可说，《梅》的前三分之一更加出彩，凭借王学圻将抢镜进行到底的十三燕一角，影片所要表达的全部内容这里均已点出，后面的戏只是在不断的重复。

影片的中段，以出人意料的少的篇幅刻画了梅兰芳与孟小冬的恋情。我一向是有点反感章子怡的，或许是因为《卧虎藏龙》、《十面埋伏》这样的影片里她的主要亮点就是脱戏，然而《梅兰芳》里她的角色眉目传情，相当出彩。然而影片里的梅孟之恋，浅尝辄止，且剧本对刺杀案的修改颇有些败笔，因此更显得这段本可刻骨铭心的戏虎头蛇尾。

而到了影片的后段，没有了爱情而只有爱国，这样的故事我们看过太多。梅兰芳受到了种种制约，电影更是受制于隐形的枷锁。《霸》中程蝶衣敢说日本军官青木懂戏，而《梅》中唯一非主旋律的或许就是那个懂戏而有血性的日本军官中田。

当然，这样说倒是忽略了一个人，一个甚至被人称作《梅》中的程蝶衣的角色，即孙红雷饰演的梅党人邱如白。此人确是个程蝶衣般的戏痴，他可以痴到为了戏而犯《色戒》女主角那样的原则性错误，然而，这个角色由于剧情的不合理，很早就被写“死”了——他是个不真实的人，也便无法感染观众。

8/10