美国
Before Midnight (2013) Eggplant.place Douban TMDB IMDb WikiData
Before Midnight
8.8 (1311 ratings) director: 理查德·林克莱特 actor: 伊桑·霍克 / 朱莉·德尔佩
other title: 爱在午夜降临前 / 情约半生(港)
It has been nine years since we last met Jesse and Celine, the French-American couple who once met on a train in Vienna. They now live in Paris with twin daughters but have spent a summer in Greece at the invitation of an author colleague of Jesse's. When the vacation is over and Jesse must send his teenage son off to the States, he begins to question his life decisions, and his relationship with Celine is at risk.
The Death and Life of Great American Cities Douban
8.9 (8 ratings) author: Jane Jacobs publishing house: Vintage 1992
A direct and fundamentally optimistic indictment of the short-sightedness and intellectual arrogance that has characterized much of urban planning in this century, The Death and Life of Great American Cities has, since its first publication in 1961, become the standard against which all endeavors in that field are measured. In prose of outstanding immediacy, Jane Jacobs writes about what makes streets safe or unsafe; about what constitutes a neighborhood, and what function it serves within the larger organism of the city; about why some neighborhoods remain impoverished while others regenerate themselves. She writes about the salutary role of funeral parlors and tenement windows, the dangers of too much development money and too little diversity. Compassionate, bracingly indignant, and always keenly detailed, Jane Jacobs's monumental work provides an essential framework for assessing the vitality of all cities.
The Wisdom of Insecurity Douban
author: Alan W. Watts publishing house: Vintage 2011 - 2
“Anyone whose life needs a course correction would be fortunate to be guided by The Wisdom of Insecurity . My life still is, some thirty years later." —Deepak Chopra, from the Introduction
Alan W. Watts’s “message for an age of anxiety” is as powerful today as it waswhen this modern classic was first published.
We spend too much time trying to anticipate and plan for the future; too much time lamenting the past. We often miss the pleasures of the moment in our anxious efforts to ensure the next moment is as enjoyable. Drawing from Eastern philosophy and religion, Watts argues that it is only by acknowledging what we do not and cannot know, that we can find something truly worth knowing. In order to lead a fulfilling life, one must embrace the present—live fully in the now.
Elegantly reasoned and lucidly written, this philosophical achievement contains all the wisdom and spirit that distinguished Watts’s long career and resonates with us still.
Oct. 16, 2013 read
蛮好的大众哲学读物,比较适合西方读者及西方文明影响到的更广大的人群。在广义基督教的框架内,以现象学分析为方法,抵达了与东方智慧/禅宗相同的结论。因基本未涉哲学或宗教方面的名词,文字相当浅显易读。总结一下的话,不安全感是种现代病,消除不安全感的办法,在于去掉“我执”,认识到除了此时此刻,我们并不拥有其他。这个自我意识里的“我”与我们经验到的感受是同一的。对觉得佛经义理艰深的读者,先看看这本也不错。
美国 宗教 社科 哲学 心理学
Gravity (2013) Douban IMDb Min reol Eggplant.place TMDB Skybridge WikiData
Gravity
7.8 (1427 ratings) director: 阿方索·卡隆 actor: 桑德拉·布洛克 / 乔治·克鲁尼
other title: 地心引力 / 引力边缘(港)
Dr. Ryan Stone, a brilliant medical engineer on her first Shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky in command of his last flight before retiring. But on a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The Shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalsky completely alone-tethered to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the blackness of space. The deafening silence tells them they have lost any link to Earth and any chance for rescue. As fear turns to panic, every gulp of air eats away at what little oxygen is left. But the only way home may be to go further out into the terrifying expanse of space.
Oct. 12, 2013 watched
豆瓣上有些好评也太夸张了吧?!本来就不是冲故事情节去的,但太空常识上居然有硬伤,然后还非把庸俗的美国主流家庭价值观装进去。给三星是因为毕竟小时候喜欢过太空,一些画面还是挺深邃有感的,但一想到都是摄影棚里、电脑做出来的又觉没劲。卫星碎片什么的那些实在无聊。
美国 欧美商业片
Cinderella (1950) Douban IMDb TMDB Min reol Bangumi Skybridge WikiData
Cinderella
7.8 (205 ratings) director: 克莱德·杰洛尼米 / 威尔弗雷德·杰克逊 actor: 艾琳·伍兹 / 艾莉诺·阿德里
other title: 仙履奇缘 / 灰姑娘
Cinderella has faith her dreams of a better life will come true. With help from her loyal mice friends and a wave of her Fairy Godmother's wand, Cinderella's rags are magically turned into a glorious gown and off she goes to the Royal Ball. But when the clock strikes midnight, the spell is broken, leaving a single glass slipper... the only key to the ultimate fairy-tale ending!
Miss Congeniality (2000) Douban IMDb TMDB WikiData
Miss Congeniality
6.6 (114 ratings) director: 唐纳德·皮特里 actor: 桑德拉·布洛克 / 迈克尔·凯恩
other title: 미스 에이전트 / デンジャラス・ビューティー
When the local FBI office receives a letter from a terrorist known only as 'The Citizen', it's quickly determined that he's planning his next act at the Miss America beauty pageant. Because tough-as-nails Gracie Hart is the only female Agent at the office, she's chosen to go undercover as the contestant from New Jersey.
Sleeping Beauty (1959) TMDB Min reol IMDb Eggplant.place Douban WikiData
Sleeping Beauty
7.8 (170 ratings) director: Clyde Geronimi actor: 玛丽·科斯塔 / 比尔·雪利
other title: 睡美人 / 睡公主(港)
Cursed to die by the evil fairy Maleficent when she was a baby, Princess Aurora is sent into hiding under protection from three good fairies. As she grows up far away, Maleficent becomes increasingly determined to seal the princess's fate.
Tom and Jerry (1965) Douban Bangumi
Tom and Jerry
9.7 (572 ratings) director: 约瑟夫·巴伯拉 / 威廉·汉纳 actor: 道斯·巴特勒 / 里德·科菲
Chuck Jones团队1965-1972年间基于Hanna–Barbera在1940-1957年制作的114部影院版动画短片重新打包编辑的电视版《猫和老鼠》,并制作了新片头。其中还混有MGM出品的其他影院版动画短片如Droopy系列。 这一电视版曾于1990年代初在中央电视台播出过。
Cutie and the Boxer (2013) Douban
Cutie and the Boxer
8.0 (25 ratings) director: 扎克瑞·海因策林 actor: Noriko Shinohara / Ushio Shinohara
other title: 小可爱与拳击手
影片是纪录片导演 Zachary Heinzerling的首部长片。《小可爱与拳击手》讲述了来自日本的“行动派”画家Ushio Shinohara和他的妻子Noriko Shinohara四十多年的婚姻,他们常常需要不断学习和包容来自对方的种种个性和缺点。Ushio Shinohara现年已经73岁,他主要在纽约举行创作,戴着拳击手套上面包裹着海绵,蘸取墨汁在画布上作画,而他的妻子Noriko尽管一直被当成丈夫身边的助手,却也在试图实现自己存在的价值。
Moonstruck (1987) IMDb Douban TMDB WikiData
Moonstruck
7.2 (39 ratings) director: 诺曼·杰威森 actor: 雪儿 / 尼古拉斯·凯奇
other title: 月色撩人 / 发晕(台)
37-year-old Italian-American widow Loretta Castorini believes she is unlucky in love, and so accepts a marriage proposal from her boyfriend Johnny, even though she doesn't love him. When she meets his estranged younger brother Ronny, an emotional and passionate man, she finds herself drawn to him. She tries to resist, but Ronny, who blames his brother for the loss of his hand, has no scruples about aggressively pursuing her while Johnny is out of the country. As Loretta falls for Ronny, she learns that she's not the only one in her family with a secret romance.
Promised Land (2012) Douban TMDB IMDb WikiData
Promised Land
7.0 (37 ratings) director: 格斯·范·桑特 actor: 马特·达蒙 / 本杰明·希勒
other title: 应许之地 / 骗地谎言(港)
A salesman for a natural gas company experiences life-changing events after arriving in a small town, where his corporation wants to tap into the available resources.
July 10, 2013 watched
扣人心弦地切中环境、能源、垄断性企业、美国乡镇在后现代工业化中的衰落等现实问题。看这种片子时不会考量什么镜头、调度之类的。马特达蒙和克鲁尼这样有现实关怀的全能级明星是中国电影业应羡慕好莱坞的地方。
美国 欧美商业片
黑暗中的笑声 Douban
Laughter in the Dark
8.4 (29 ratings) author: [美国] 弗拉基米尔·纳博科夫 translator: 龚文庠 publishing house: 上海译文出版社 2006 - 4
本一九三二年柏林写成,书名为《暗箱》,在巴、柏林两地出版;一九六年由·洛伊译为文,用原名在敦出版;一九三八年由纳博科夫本人作大幅度修并重译后在纽约出版,更名《黑暗中声》。小说仿效二三十年代电影中盛行的那种廉价三角恋爱故事,开始就以电影为,引出主要人物之间的关系。男主角欧比纳斯想用动画片这种技巧让古代大师的画作“活动起来”,提议与讥刺画家雷克斯合作。欧比纳斯对影院引座员玛戈一见钟情,“着了似的爱看电影”的玛戈一心梦想当影,当她确信他属于能为“登上舞台和银幕提供条件”的阶层时,便决定与他来往。欧比纳斯为招待明星而举办的宴会,则为玛戈与昔日情人雷克重逢创造了机会,由此构成三角关系,直到小说以悲剧结束。
June 7, 2013 read
非常顺畅的阅读。电影感很强,这是纳博科夫有意为之,因为要讽刺通俗电影中的三角恋情节。讽刺、幽默的口吻有点像托尔斯泰的某些中短篇小说。但阅读的快感不如看他后来的作品《普宁》,或许是因为太像银幕上的情节剧了,这部小说作为文学作品可让人回味的东西少了点。
经典 文学 俄罗斯 美国 外国文学
Halo Star Douban
8.0 (6 ratings) Black Tape for a Blue Girl genre: Rock
release date 2004-01-01 publisher: Projekt Records
乐队主要创作者/键盘手/歌手Sam Rosenthal于1983年在佛洛里达建立了Projekt厂牌,那时公司的性质还主要是Sam自娱自乐,用来销售他独力做出的一些具有Techno Pop风格的电子音乐。三年之后,公司搬去加州,发行了Black Tape for a Blue Girl等的作品,它的名字才开始逐渐为人们所知。此时正是英美地下摇滚乐的"黑暗"时期,众多工业/噪音/哥特乐团开发着人们所有对于黑暗病态艺术的想象,这是一个考验你的接受能力和修正你的审美观念的年代。而Black Tape For A Blue Girl以他们混合了ambient, new age和哥特摇滚的曲风,使他们很快成为Projekt旗下最为引人注目的乐队。

关于乐队的名字:Black Tape For A Blue Girl,Sam不愿详加解释,只是说仔细听他们音乐的人自会理解。他也很乐意留给人们想象的空间。与4AD的This Mortal Coil和Ivo的关系不同。Sam对Black Tape for a Blue Girl的参与要多得多,他对文学的爱好亦使得他的创作无论是歌词还是音乐中都充满了唯美的悲剧气氛,而Sam自己则提到了卡夫卡、萨特、波德莱尔等名字对他的激励。Sam并未把Black Tape For A Blue Girl视为一支严格意义上的乐队,他说"Black Tape For a Blue Girl"让我了解自己的想法和我对艺术的观念。所有同我一起工作的人都理解我所要表达的东西并帮我将它们付诸实施。与那种大家走到一起共同发表意见的乐队不同,在Black Tape For a Blue Girl里,每个人都贡献自己的才能,但大家都知道是由我决定如何安排。在这个意义上,我们更类似于一出戏剧,而我则是做最后总结的导演。

除了Rosenthal,乐队其他成员一直变化不定;事实上,唯一长期的合作者只有男歌手/吉他手Oscar Herrera,其他值得注意的出现过的乐手还有:一位让你想起希腊神话中的海妖塞壬的女歌手Lucian Casselman, 小提琴手Vicki Richards,大提琴手Mera Roberts ,木箫手Richard Watson。长笛手LisaFeuer(同时也参与了很多唱片包装设计)。这支乐队从未举行过现场演出(原文如此,据我所知还是有,很少就是,译者注),也很少凑在一起录音。

他们弥漫着深深悲伤的音乐是在午夜梦回时产生的阴暗的激情,在失意者听来,不啻于天籁仙音。也许可以用一位歌迷的话来形容:"在他们的世界里,爱与痛苦并肩而行。痛苦似乎是到达最深的真爱的必经之路。而爱则不可避免的会带来痛苦。"Sam自己则说:"这种悲伤来自于我个人经历的影响。我所爱的人、他们如何改变我,都会从我的音乐中反映来。这是一个缓慢渐进的过程,因为生命本身就是由许多细微的小起伏组成。的确,在我的唱片中很难找到一首可以被形容为"快乐"的歌曲,尽管"through sky blue rooms" (1989年专辑Ashes In The Brittle Air中),听起来有一些快乐的情绪,但最后还是会以悲伤的调子结束。对我来说,的确很难写出些快乐的作品,我和Oscar有时会讲起写首快乐的歌多少是件不可想象的事。但我并非是以消极的心态去看人生。不象很多哥特艺术家所做的,我并不预言必然的衰落和人类的毁灭。我仍然充满希望并向前看。我只是没有受过什么音乐方面的训练,我所受的影响更多的来自文学家而非音乐家。我所着迷的是萨特的存在主义叙述:你就是唯一使你成为你自己的东西。这里面并没有什么偶然和运气的成分在内。是你自己塑造自己的生活,如果你将时间花在悲叹和感慨没有什么事情是完美的话,那你只会发现实情如此。为自己寻找真爱,或是取得成功,或是变得高兴起来,什么都需要靠自己进行!生命只是我们所得到的机会,我们必须找到什么是美的,什么是我们可以为自己做的!因为在人们死后不会有美丽的天使来引导人们进入幸福的天堂。你必须为自己做这一切。我想人们宁愿欺骗自己,也不愿意承认他们对现状不满,我也曾放弃自己的信念,来避免面对痛苦。我认识到爱就意味着放弃抵抗,准备被你所爱的人摧毁。"Sam并不畏惧在自己的音乐中解刨自己,对他来说,真正的艺术就意味着要涉足人们经常会掩藏的东西。除了歌词,Sam在音乐上的创作也达到了相当的高度,在他的音乐中,你可以听到他是如何用成熟而坚定的心态去面对爱和痛苦,在他们最好的作品Remnants Of A Deeper Purity中,这种心态到达了极有表现力的高度。很长的组曲用带有魔力的大,小提琴作为主体。Sam的键盘。Lucian的歌声,悠远而悲伤, 安静的啜泣里,眼泪暗暗流出。今年的新专辑As One Aflame Laid Bare by Desire中弦乐成分更重,Sam与曾经合作过的女歌手/吉他手JuliannaTowns等合作,作出了一张比以前更向古典乐靠拢的作品。一方面专辑的内容是象以往那样,以一对男女痴缠的故事来表现纯洁的浪漫与痛苦的激情,告诉我们:"Gothic",并非是指Marilyn Manson之流的装扮。

另一方面则展示了Sam所受的,来自二、三十年代的法国象征主义画家马塞尔·杜桑(以其历时十二年创作出的作品"大玻璃"又名"被单身汉剥光了的新娘"而著名)的影响。这位艺术家晚期的作品主要讨论色欲,在他为自己的作品"The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors,Even."所写的导读中中,他写道"I used to think of Love as a machine; myself as a motor, erotic energy," Sam则将其原文引入了音乐,在歌中,主人公唱着自己想要感觉到爱,想要被爱彻底占有,想要抛开表面意义上的爱而浸淫其中。十几年过去了,今天的Projekt在DarkWave/Gothic乐迷心中已无异于教徒的圣地,它所出版的那些混合了NewAge和吸血鬼的歌曲,深刻的揭示出人们心中的爱和欲望的交战。并被认为是填补了4ad迈入商业之后地下氛围摇滚乐的空白。Black Tape for a Blue Girl也被视为Projekt之声的代表。除了Black Tape for a Blue Girl,Sam还参加了Projekt旗下另一支叫做Thanatos哥特-民谣风格的乐队。既要经营公司,又要参与两支乐队的活动,Sam也难免感慨分身乏术了。-------rockyear
The Great Gatsby (2013) TMDB Douban Eggplant.place Min reol IMDb WikiData
The Great Gatsby
7.4 (1600 ratings) director: 巴兹·鲁赫曼 actor: 莱昂纳多·迪卡普里奥 / 凯瑞·穆里根
other title: 了不起的盖茨比 / 大亨小传(港/台)
An adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's Long Island-set novel, where Midwesterner Nick Carraway is lured into the lavish world of his neighbor, Jay Gatsby. Soon enough, however, Carraway will see through the cracks of Gatsby's nouveau riche existence, where obsession, madness, and tragedy await.
May 11, 2013 watched
Nouveau riche的急速上升和陨落,美国20s黄金时代的pomposity和vanity,脱离了小说文本变成影像之后,整个故事只剩下了晚报法制版的纪实报道水平,所幸台词大概吸收了原著精华。此片在今天美国的语境象征了另外一场大梦的初醒。女主角毫无风情可言,脸这么歪也真是对不起观众。搞成3D有点莫名奇妙。
美国 欧美商业片
Side Effects (2013) Douban Min reol IMDb WikiData TMDB
Side Effects
7.2 (244 ratings) director: 史蒂文·索德伯格 actor: 裘德·洛 / 鲁妮·玛拉
other title: 副作用 / 谜离药谎(港)
A woman turns to prescription medication as a way of handling her anxiety concerning her husband's upcoming release from prison.
March 31, 2013 watched
气氛的营造很成功,虽已预料到后面会有反转但悬疑性一直在。不过伪装心理疾患来犯罪的片子已经不新鲜了,多年前就有乌玛瑟曼的「最后的分析」,本片的反转放在今天背景下有点小儿科,还不如以批判滥用精神科药物为主题,至少那样更有社会意义。
美国 欧美商业片